Methods and products related to the physical conversion of reactive amorphous calcium phosphate

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a novel process for producing a calcium phosphate cement or filler which hardens in a temperature dependent fashion in association with an endothermic reaction. In the reaction a limited amount of water is mixed with dry calcium phosphate precursors to produce a hydrated precursor paste. Hardening of the paste occurs rapidly at body temperature an is accompanied by the conversion of one or more of the reactants to poorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate. The hardened cements, fillers, growth matrices, orthopedic and delivery devices of the invention are rapidly resorbable and stimulate hard tissue growth and healing.

This application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pendingapplication U.S. Ser. No. 08/650,764 filed May 20, 1996 entitled "NovelBone Substitution Material and a Method of Its Manufacture", which is acontinuation-in-part application of application U.S. Ser. No. 08/446,182filed M.kay 19, 1995 entitled "Synthesis of Reactive Amorphous CalciumPhosphates", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,976 both of which are hereinincorporated in its entirety by reference. This application also isrelated to several co-pending applications filed on even day herewith,entitled, "Bioresorbable Ceramic Composites" U.S. Ser. No. 08/732,016,"Delivery Vehicle" U.S. Ser. No. 08/729,342, "Cell Seeding of CeramicCompositions" U.S. Ser. No. 08/729,354 and "Orthopedic and DentalCeramic Implants" U.S. Ser. No. 08/729,343, each of which isincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to hard tissue implant materials containingpoorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate useful as human or animalimplantable bioceramics and for other purposes. The invention furtherrelates to bioresorbable composites, cell therapy and therapeuticsubstance delivery devices useful in human and animal therapeutics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Calcium phosphates are the principal constituent of hard tissues (bone,cartilage, tooth enamel and dentine). Calcium phosphates generally occurin apatitic form when found in biological tissues. For instance, thecomposition of bone mineral may be represented by the following formula:

    Ca.sub.8.3 (PO.sub.4).sub.4.3 (HPO4, CO.sub.3).sub.1.7 (OH, CO.sub.3).sub.0.3

Unlike the ideal stoichiometric crystalline hydroxyapatite (Ca₁₀ (PO₄)₆(OH)₂), or stoichiometric apatites in general (Ca₅ (PO₄)₃ X), which havea calcium to phosphate ratio (Ca/P) of 1.67, bone mineral is anon-stoichiometric apatite. Its non-stoichiometry is primarily due tothe presence of divalent ions, such as CO₃ ²⁻ and HPO₄ ²⁻, which aresubstituted for the trivalent PO₄ ³⁻ ions. Substitution by HPO₄ ²⁻ andCO₃ ²⁻ ions produces a change of the Ca/P ratio, resulting in Ca/P ratiowhich may vary between 1.50 to 1.70, depending on the age and bony site.Generally, the Ca/P ratio increases during aging of bone, suggestingthat the amount of carbonate species increases for older bones.Naturally-occurring bone mineral is made of nanometer-sized,poorly-crystalline calcium phosphate with apatitic structure. The poorlycrystalline apatitic calcium phosphate of bone is distinguished from themore crystalline hydroxyapatites and non-stoichiometric hydroxyapatitesby its distinctive XRD pattern as shown in FIG. 7. It is the Ca/P ratioin conjunction with nanocrystalline size and the poorly-crystallinenature that yields the specific solubility properties of the boneminerals. And because bone tissues undergo constant tissue repairregulated by mineral-resorbing cells (Osteoclasts) and mineral-producingcells (Osteoblasts), solubility behavior of minerals is important inmaintaining a delicate metabolic balance between these cell activities.

Synthetic bone graft material made to closely resemble natural boneminerals can be a useful replacement for natural bone. Acceptablesynthetic bone can avoid the problem of availability and harvesting ofautologous bone (patient's own bone) and the risks and complicationsassociated with allograft bone (bone from a cadaver), such as risks ofviral transmission. An ideal synthetic bone graft should possess aminimum of the following four properties: (1) it should be chemicallybiocompatible; (2) it should provide some degree of structural integrityin order to keep the graft in place and intact until the patient's ownbone heals around it; (3) it should be resorbable so that the patient'sown bone ultimately replaces the graft; and, (4) because it may benecessary to incorporate cells and/or biomolecules into the syntheticbone material, it is desirable that the process used to form thematerial employ low temperatures and chemically mild conditions. Similarcriteria are also important for other hard tissue grafts (e.g.cartilage).

These criteria may be met by a material in which parameters, such asCa/P ratios, crystal size, crystallinity, porosity, density, thermalstability and material purity are controlled. While there have beenconsiderable efforts to synthesize a ceramic material for use asimplants, synthetic hydroxyapatites have most often been used becausetheir chemical formulae are very similar to the naturally occurringmineral in bone. LeGeros R. Z., in Calcium Phosphates in Oral Biologyand Medicine, Karger Pub. Co., New York, 1991 teaches highly crystallineforms of hydroxyapatite produced by solution precipitation followed bysintering at high temperatures (800-1200° C.). High temperaturetreatment yields highly stoichiometric hydroxyapatite with crystal sizeson the order of several microns with a Ca/P of 1.67. Such highlycrystalline hydroxyapatite is essentially non-resorbable in vivo. It isnot replaced by living bone tissue and remains intact in the patient foran undesirably extended period of time.

A number of other approaches to the production of bone substitutematerial have employed hydroxyapatite produced by a solid-stateacid-base reaction of primarily crystalline calcium phosphate reactants.These hydroxyapatite bone substitute materials are sometimespoorly-reacted, inhomogeneous, and have significant crystallinehydroxyapatite content.

Constantz in U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,610 reports on the preparation ofcalcium phosphate minerals by the reaction of a highly concentratedphosphoric acid with a calcium source in the presence of a base andhydroxyapatite crystals. The resultant product is a polycrystallinematerial containing a crystalline form of hydroxyapatite minerals.Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,212 to Constantz et al. discloses the useof a powdered acid source to improve the workability and mixability ofthe acid/base mixture; however, a mixed-phase calcium phosphate materialsimilar to that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,610 is reported. Recently,Constantz et al. reported in Science (Vol. 267, pp. 1796-9 (Mar. 24,1995)) the formation of a carbonated apatite from the reaction ofmonocalcium phosphate monohydrate, Beta-tricalcium phosphate,Alpha-tricalcium phosphate, and calcium carbonate in a sodium phosphatesolution, to provide a calcium phosphate material which is stillsubstantially more crystalline in character than naturally occurringbone minerals.

Similarly, Brown et al. in U.S. Pat. Reissue No. 33,221 report on thereaction of crystalline tetracalcium phosphate (Ca/P of 2.0) with acidiccalcium phosphates. Liu et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,368 disclose thereaction of crystalline calcium phosphate salts with an acidic citrate.

A number of calcium phosphate bone fillers and cements have beendescribed as "resorbable." Generally, these are compounds comprising orderived from tricalcium phosphate, tetracalcium phosphate orhydroxyapatite. At best these materials may be considered only weaklyresorbable. Of these, the tricalcium phosphate compounds have beendemonstrated to be the most resorbable and after many years of studythey are still not widely used in clinical settings. The tricalciumphosphates are known to have lengthy and somewhat unpredictableresorption profiles, generally requiring in excess of one year forresorption. Furthermore, unless steps are taken to produce extremelyporous or channeled samples, the tricalcium phosphates are not replacedby bone. Recently it has been concluded that the "biodegradation of TCP,which is higher than that of Hap [hydroxyapatite] is not sufficient"(Berger et al., Biomaterials, 16:1241 (1995)). Tetracalcium phosphateand hydroxyapatite derived compounds are also only weakly resorbable.Tetracalcium phosphate fillers generally exhibit partial resorption overlong periods of time such as 80% resorption after 30 months (Horioglu etal., Soc. for Biomaterials, March 18-22, pg 198 (1995)). Approximately30% of microcrystalline hydroxyapatite implanted into the frontal sinusremained after 18 months in cats.

All of these references disclose a chemical reaction resulting incrystalline form of hydroxyapatite solids that has been obtained byreacting crystalline solids of calcium phosphate. There has been littlereported on the use of amorphous calcium phosphates (Ca/P ofapproximately 1.5) as one of the reactants because the amorphous calciumphosphates are the least understood solids among the calcium phosphatesand amorphous calcium phosphate has traditionally been considered to bea relatively inert and non-reactive solid.

Amorphous calcium phosphate material has been used as a direct precursorto the formation of a highly crystalline hydroxyapatite compounds undergenerally high temperature treatments. Such a highly crystallinematerial is inappropriate for synthetic bone because it is highlyinsoluble under physiological conditions. Chow et al. in U.S. Pat. No.5,525,148 report the testing of ACP precursors in a number of reactionschemes but states that slurries of a variety of crystalline calciumphosphates including ACP either alone or in mixtures do not produce asetting cement or act as an effective remineralizing agent.

Brown et al. in U.S. Pat. Reissue No. 33,221 report on the formation ofcrystalline hydroxyapatite for dental cement by reacting an amorphousphase specifically restricted to tetracalcium phosphate (Ca/P of 2.0)with at least one of the more acidic calcium phosphates. Further, Brownet al., does not disclose the preparation or the properties of such atetracalcium phosphate in amorphous state. Tung in U.S. Pat. No.5,037,639 discloses the use and application of standard amorphouscalcium phosphate paste for the remineralization of teeth. Tung proposesthe use of standard inert amorphous calcium phosphate mixed with anddelivered through a chewing gum, mouth rinse or toothpaste, which uponentering oral fluids converts to crystalline fluoride containinghydroxyapatite which is useful to remineralize tooth enamel. Simkiss inPCT/GB93/01519 describes the use of inhibitors, such as Mg ions orpyrophosphate, mixed with amorphous calcium phosphate and implanted intoliving tissues. Upon leaching of, for example Mg ions, into surroundingbodily fluids, the amorphous calcium-magnesium phosphate converts into amore crystalline form.

There remains a need to develop new synthetic materials that moreclosely mimic the properties of naturally-occurring minerals in hardtissue. In particular, there remains a need to provide synthetic bonematerials which are completely bioresorbable, which can be formed at lowtemperatures and are poorly-crystalline, with nanometer-sized crystals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a bioactive ceramic material that isbiocompatible, bioresorbable and workable for long period of time atroom temperature. The bioactive ceramic material may be formed at lowtemperatures, is readily formable and/or injectable, and yet can hardento high strength upon further reaction. The bioactive ceramic materialcontains poorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate solids with Ca/Pratios comparable to naturally occurring bone minerals and havingstiffness and fracture toughness similar to natural bone. The bioactiveceramic composite material is strongly bioresorbable and itsbiosorbability and reactivity can be adjusted to meet the demands of theparticular therapy and/or implant site. The material may be prepared asbone plates, bone screws and other fixtures and medical devices,including veterinarian applications, which are strongly bioresorbableand/or ossifying.

These and other features of the invention are accomplished by aself-hardening bioceramic composition, including a hydrated precursor ofa calcium phosphate and an aqueous-based liquid in an amount sufficientto hydrate the calcium phosphate to form a paste or putty, characterizedin that hardening of the hydrated precursor is associated with anendothermic reaction. Alternatively, a self-hardening bioceramiccomposition, includes a hydrated precursor of an amorphous calciumphosphate and an aqueous-based liquid in an amount sufficient to hydratethe calcium phosphate to form a paste or putty, characterized in thathardening of the hydrated precursor occurs in more than ten minutes.

In another aspect of the invention, a bioceramic composition is providedincluding a poorly crystalline calcium phosphate prepared by promotingthe hardening of a hydrated precursor comprising an amorphous calciumphosphate and an aqueous-based liquid in an amount sufficient to hydratethe amorphous calcium phosphate to form a paste or putty, wherebyhardening is associated with an endothermic reaction and the conversionof the amorphous calcium phosphate into the poorly crystalline calciumphosphate.

The bioceramic composition of the invention may be prepared by mixing inany order, (a) an amorphous calcium phosphate, (b) a promoter, and (c)an aqueous-based liquid in an amount sufficient to form a paste orputty, whereby the paste or putty is converted into a poorly crystallineapatitic calcium phosphate and said conversion is associated withhardening of the paste in an endothermic reaction.

Definitions

"Amorphous"--By "amorphous" as that term is used here, it is meant amaterial with significant amorphous character. Significant amorphouscharacter contemplates greater than 75% amorphous content, preferablygreater than 90% amorphous content, and is characterized by a broad,featureless X-ray diffraction pattern. It is recognized that a smalldegree of crystallinity may exist in the material. However, for theamorphous precursor materials of the present invention, it is preferablethat the degree of crystallinity be less than that desired in theproduct material.

"Bioactive"--"Bioactive" refers to a material that induces hard tissueformation in and about the implant. When implanted in soft tissue, thebioactivity may also require the presence of a growth or trophic factor,or the seeding of the implant with a hard tissue forming cell type.

"Biocompatible "--The term "biocompatible", as used herein, means thatthe material does not elicit a substantial detrimental response in thehost. There is always concern, when a foreign object is introduced intoa living body, that the object will induce an immune reaction, such asan inflammatory response that will have negative effects on the host.For example, although hydroxyapatite is generally considered to be"biocompatible", significant inflammation and tissue necrosis have beenobserved when crystalline hydroxyapatite microcarriers are insertedintramuscularly in animals (see, for example, IJntema et al., Int. J.Pharm112:215 (1994)).

"Bioresorbable"--"Bioresorbable" refers to the ability of a material tobe resorbed in vivo. "Full" resorption means that no significantextracellular fragments remain. The resorption process involveselimination of the original implant materials through the action of bodyfluids, enzymes or cells. Resorbed calcium phosphate may, for example,be redeposited as bone mineral, or by being otherwise reutilized withinthe body, or excreted. "Strongly bioresorbable", as that term is usedherein, means that at least 80% of the total mass of material implantedintramuscularly or subcutaneously is resorbed within one year. Inpreferred embodiments of the invention, the strongly resorbing poorlycrystalline apatitic (PCA) calcium phosphate is characterized in that,when at least 1 g (preferably 1-5 g) of PCA material is implanted at asubcutaneous or intramuscular site, at least 80% of the material isresorbed within one year. In more preferred embodiments, the materialwill be resorbed within nine months, six months, three months, andideally one month. Furthermore, particularly preferred materials arecharacterized in that they can be fully resorbed in the stated timeperiods. For the purpose of this disclosure, "weakly" resorbable meansthat less than 80% of the starting material is resorbed after one year.

"Hardening"--"Hardening" refers to the process by which the hydratedprecursor is transformed into a hardened PCA material. The PCA materialis considered to be "hardened" when it is a substantially non-formablesolid. Such a hardened PCA material has minimal compressibility andtends to undergo plastic as opposed to elastic deformation.

"Hydrated precursor"--The term "hydrated precursor", as used herein,refers to the paste or putty formed by hydration of the dry precursorsin the presence of a limited amount of aqueous solution (i.e., less thanapproximately 1 mL aqueous solution/1 g precursor powder). The hydratedprecursor may comprise both reactants and products, in variouscombinations, depending on the extent to which the conversion hasprogressed. Both the "injectable" and "formable" precursor pastesdescribed herein are hydrated precursors. Preferred "injectable"hydrated precursors have a consistency appropriate for delivery throughan 18 gauge needle.

"Poorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate", "PCA calcium phosphate"and "PCA material", as those terms are used herein, describe a syntheticpoorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate. The PCA material is notnecessarily restricted to a single calcium phosphate phase provided ithas the characteristic XRD and FTIR pattern. A PCA calcium phosphate hassubstantially the same X-ray diffraction spectrum as bone. The spectrumis generally characterized by only two broad peaks in the region of20-35° with one centered at 26° and the other centered at 32°. It isfurther characterized by FTIR peaks at 563 cm⁻¹, 1034 cm⁻¹, 1638 cm⁻¹and 3432 cm⁻¹ (±2 cm⁻¹). Sharp shoulders are observed at 603 cm⁻¹ and875 cm⁻¹, with a doublet having maxima at 1422 cm⁻¹ and 1457 cm⁻¹.

"Promoter"--The term "promoter", as used herein, describes a material ortreatment that promotes hardening of a hydrated precursor and mayenhance the ACP to PCA calcium phosphate conversion. Some promotersparticipate in the conversion and are incorporated into the product PCAmaterial; others, known as "passive" promoters, do not participate.

"Reactive"--"Reactive" is used herein to refer to the ability of anamorphous calcium phosphate when mixed with liquid to form a hydratedprecursor to undergo conversion to the PCA material of the presentinvention in the presence of a promoter in association with hardening ofthe precursor materials. Preferred ACPs are characterized by an abilityto convert completely, an ability to convert quickly with hardening, anability to undergo conversion with otherwise inert compounds and/or anability to convert into a substantially homogeneous PCA material. Wherethe ACP is reacted with a second calcium phosphate, the "conversion" canencompass conversion of both the ACP and the second calcium phosphate.The degree of hardening and the kinetics of the hardening process arealso important elements of reactivity. Some ACPs are more reactive thanothers. An ACP is considered "highly reactive" if it undergoesconversion and hardening to a PCA material in the presence of a weakpromoter, such as dicalcium phosphate dihydrate ("DCPD") with a grainsize distribution containing a significant fraction of grains greaterthan 100 μm. Preferred highly reactive ACPs produce a hardened PCAmaterial in the presence of weakly promoting DCPD and water at 37° C. inless than twelve hours, with hardening being substantially complete inabout one to five hours, and ideally 10-30 minutes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a high-resolution transmission electron micrograph of thereactive amorphous calcium phosphate illustrating the nanometer-sizedgrains in clusters with relatively unclear boundaries and partiallyimmersed in shapeless form (arrows);

FIG. 2 is an energy-dispersive electron microprobe spectrum of thereactive amorphous calcium phosphate of the present invention after thevacuum heating procedure which yielded Ca/P to be 1.58;

FIG. 3 is a solubility curve of a poorly crystalline apatitic calciumphosphate product derived from amorphous calcium phosphate of thepresent invention, as compared with a crystalline hydroxyapatite. Notethe relative higher solubility of the material of the present inventionversus a more crystalline form of hydroxyapatite, as measured by theamount of calcium ions released into solution at 37° C.;

FIG. 4 are X-ray diffraction patterns of (a) reactive amorphous calciumphosphate; and (b) dicalcium diphosphate used in a reaction to form abone substitute material of the invention;

FIGS. 5a-d are X-ray diffraction patterns tracking the progress of thereaction of a mixture of reactive amorphous calcium phosphate anddicalcium diphosphate to form a PCA material of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is infrared spectra of (a) dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, (b) theactivated ACP of the invention, and (c) the PCA material of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is an X-ray diffraction pattern of naturally occurring bone;

FIG. 8 is a bar graph displaying particle size distribution for variousformulations described in Example 10;

FIG. 9 presents photomicrographs of tibial defects either untreated (9a)or treated (9b) with a PCA material of the present invention; in FIG.9a, the small arrows indicate one edge of the defect; the largearrowhead is at the yet unbridged defect; in FIG. 9b, large arrowheadsdenote one edge of the defect; and in both Figures, magnification is 4×,bone is decalcified, and slides are treated with hematoxylin and eosin;

FIG. 10 is a photomicrograph of canine trabecular bone grown into adefect treated with the PCA material of the present invention(magnification 10×; decalcified; hematoxylin and eosin);

FIG. 11 is a photomicrograph of a canine cortical bone defect that wastreated with the PCA material of the present invention (magnification4×; undecalcified, Light Green Basic Fuchsin);

FIG. 12 presents photomicrographs of untreated (FIG. 12a) and treated(FIG. 12b) rabbit tibia defects 4 weeks after surgery (magnification 4×;decalcified; Masson's Trichrome);

FIG. 13 is an X-ray diffraction patterns of PCA calcium phosphateprepared from Al₂ O₃ passive promoter, in which Al₂ O₃ peaks areindicated by lines; and the characteristic PCA material pattern clearlyvisible in the range of 2θ=24°-24°.

FIG. 14 is an X-ray diffraction pattern of PCA calcium phosphateprepared as described in Example 1-2;

FIG. 15 is and X-ray diffraction pattern of PCA calcium phosphateprepared as described in Example 1-4;

FIG. 16 is a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) plot of thereaction of reactive ACP with DCPD showing endothermic nature of thereaction;

FIG. 17 is infrared spectra of the amorphous calcium phosphate materialbefore heat treatment (FIG. 17a) and after heat treatment (FIG. 17b);and

FIG. 18 is a full width XRD of the PCA calcium phosphate of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to biocompatible ceramic compositionsadapted for use in the repair and growth promotion of hard tissueincluding the fabrication of resorbable orthopedic and dental fixtures.The compositions comprise a biocompatible and highly bioresorbablepoorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate (PCA calcium phosphate)sometimes combined with a suitable biocompatible matrix or additive. ThePCA calcium phosphate has utility in dental, orthopedic, drug delivery,cell therapy and other therapeutic applications.

The inventive composition may be applied as a bone cement to thebone-contacting surfaces of prosthetic devices. It may be applieddirectly to bone defects as a filler, where it is capable of promotingthe growth of new bone tissue. The composition may similarly be appliedfor repair, growth or production of cartilaginous tissue. Alternatively,the composition may be used to fabricate fixtures or devices such asscrews and plates, which under appropriate circumstances will beresorbed and replaced by bone or cartilage. The composition may also beused free standing in soft tissue. When a pharmaceutically active agentis added to the composition, it serves as a drug delivery device, andrelease of the agent may occur over an extended time period afterimplantation as the composition slowly biodegrades.

The invention also provides methods for promoting the conversion of ACPto PCA calcium phosphate, in a controlled fashion, in the form of apaste or putty which hardens predictably.

The PCA calcium phosphate bioceramic of the invention is generallycalcium deficient with a calcium to phosphate ratio of less than 1.5 ascompared to the ideal stoichiometric value of approximately 1.67 forhydroxyapatite. They are further characterized by their biologicalbioresorbability and minimal crystallinity. They may be rapidlybioresorbable and possess high porosity and/or low density or slowlybioresorbable and possess decreased porosity and/or high density. Theircrystalline character is substantially the same as natural bone withoutthe higher degree of crystallinity seen in the bone substitute materialsknown to the art. The inventive PCA calcium phosphate also isbiocompatible, that is, there is no significant detrimental reaction(e.g., inflammation or fibrosis) induced in the host by the implantedmaterial. Materials which induce a medically acceptable level ofinflammation or fibrosis are considered biocompatible. The PCA calciumphosphate may be used in a moist precursor form (i.e., hydratedprecursor) and applied as a cement directly to a surgical site such as afracture, or it may be hardened ex vivo and subsequently implanted.

The resorbability of the inventive PCA calcium phosphate is attributableto a combination of density, porosity, chemical composition andcrystalline structure. Low crystallinity in apatites is associated withsomewhat increased solubility in aqueous systems compared to other morecrystalline species, and thus the low crystallinity and/or presence ofstable amorphous apatitic domains in the inventive PCA calcium phosphateis believed to be associated with its resorbability in biologicalsystems. Porosity facilitates both the penetration of cells and cellprocesses into the bioceramic matrix and the diffusion of substances toand from the matrix interior. Accordingly, PCA calcium phosphatecompositions of lower porosity resorb more slowly in vivo than those ofhigh porosity. In one embodiment, the use of controlled particle sizereactants leads to a PCA calcium phosphate material of controlledporosity. Other methods of promoting porosity may be employed, such aschemical or physical etching and leaching.

The inventive PCA calcium phosphates may be manufactured with a varietyof resorption rates ranging from slow resorption times of greater thanone year (typical of weakly resorbing hydroxyapatites bone fillers andbone substitutes known to the art) to resorption rates as fast asseveral grams, e.g., 1-5 g, in 1 to 2 months. Thus depending upon thedensity, porosity, reactants used, final crystallinity of the reactionproduct, and the amount of crystallization inhibitors used, formulationscan be prepared in which a one gram device will fully resorb in anydesired time period--from 2 weeks to 1, 3 or 6 months to 1, 2 or threeyears. A strongly resorbable PCA calcium phosphate of the instantinvention possesses an in vivo resorption rate in which 80% or more ofat least one gram (preferably 1-5 g) of starting material is resorbedwithin one year, preferably within 6 months, more preferably in lessthan 3 months, and most preferable within 1-2 months.

For the production of new bone in load bearing situations it has beenfound that preparations which are fully resorbed and replaced by bone inabout six to eight weeks lead to histologically normal bone by 12 weeks.In some load bearing situations it may be desirable to have resorptionoccur more slowly. Additionally, when hard tissue is being preparedectopically or the shape of an existing hard tissue is to be augmented,it may be desirable to employ more slowly resorbing PCA calciumphosphate.

Adjustment of the density or porosity of the resultant PCA calciumphosphate or the use of reaction parameters which affect the speed andhardness of setting are all useful approaches to varying the in vivoresorption time of the inventive PCA calcium phosphate. These parametersmay be adjusted alone or in combination as required by specificapplications.

Slow resorption (greater than three months) is favored by the use ofhigh density, low porosity PCA calcium phosphate and/or rapid reactionand hardening times. Fast resorption (three or less months) is favoredby the use of low density, high porosity PCA calcium phosphate, and/orslow reaction and setting times. Guidance for adjustment of rate andcompleteness of reaction to form the PCA calcium phosphate are givenelsewhere herein. The following describes the production of preferredPCA calcium phosphate precursors which lead to a hardened PCA calciumphosphate cements of differing resorbability kinetics in vivo.

A rapidly resorbing PCA calcium phosphate is obtained by conversion ofthe highly reactive ACP of Example 5 using a DCPD with a grain sizedistribution having a considerable content of grain sizes greater that100 μm (e.g. corresponding to distribution B1 in Table 3) as a promoter.The powders are prepared as a hydrated precursor as described in Example8.

A slowly resorbing PCA calcium phosphate is obtained by conversion ofthe highly reactive ACP of Example 5 using DCPD with a grain sizedistribution having a minimal content of grain sizes greater than 100 μm(e.g. corresponding to distribution B3 in Table 3) as a promoter. Thepowders are prepared as a hydrated precursor as described in Example 9.

The inventive PCA calcium phosphate undergoes ossification. Ossificationrefers to the replacement of the implanted synthetic calcium phosphatewith bone which histologically is similar or identical to natural bone.Ossification of the inventive PCA calcium phosphate tends to occur instages with more unorganized bone appearing prior to the establishmentof more natural appearing tissue. The inventive PCA calcium phosphate isdifferent from previous bone fillers and cements because bone formationdoes not occur only at the outer edge of the implant, but initiatessimultaneously throughout the implant, presumably in association withthe resorptive process. Within two to three weeks following implantationof the PCA material into a load bearing region, such as the tibia orradius, preliminary ossification is observed by the formation of smallfoci of mineralized osteoid formation (spicules). By four weeks, thespicules have given way to lacy appearing thin cancellous trabecularbone and thin cortical bone. At six weeks, ordered normal or thickerthan normal compact cortical bone with lacunae-containing osteocytes isobserved. At time points after six weeks, final remodelling occurs sothat by twelve weeks the newly ossified bone is indistinguishable fromnative bone.

Thus, ossification in the presence of PCA calcium phosphate generallyreaches completion and appears to occur more rapidly than normal bonegrowth. This rapid rate of ossification suggests the inventive PCAcalcium phosphate enhances bone healing. New bone is observed as earlyas two weeks and may reach the fully histologically organized statewithin six weeks, but in any case by 3-6 months. In sheep segmentaldefect fracture models employing implants of up to 3 gms of hydratedprecursor, bone having 100% of the strength of non-fractured bone wasfound within three months. In the presence of trophic or growth factorssuch as bone morphogenic proteins this process may be accelerated.

In preferred embodiments, in order to optimize ossification, devices,pastes and putties of the invention may be seeded with bone formingcells. This is most easily accomplished by placing the device(containing PCA calcium phosphate or a hydrated precursor thereto) incontact with a source of the patient's own bone forming cells. Suchcells may be found in bone-associated blood or fluids, includingexogenous fluids which have been in contact with bone or bone materialsor regions, including the periosteum, cortical bone, cancellous bone ormarrow. They are also present in tissue including cortical or cancellousbone, bone marrow or periosteum. In the case of devices such as screwsand pins, the introduction of which into bone is accompanied bybleeding, no further seeding is required. For plates, which oppose onlycortical bone, induction of a periosteal lesion which will contact thedevice is recommended. In yet other embodiments, it will be useful tosurgically prepare a seating within the bone by removing a portion ofcortical bone at the implant site. Other steps may also be taken toaugment ossification, including introduction of bone forming cellsharvested from the patient into the graft, or incorporation of trophicfactors or bone growth inducing proteins into, or onto the device.Non-autologous bone cells are also within the scope of the invention ifthe desired amount of bone regeneration occurs prior to host rejectionof the bone forming cells. Thus, cells or tissues obtained from primarysources, cell lines or cell banks may all be useful in certainembodiments. Similar considerations apply for cartilage formation andhealing and the seeding of the inventive PCA calcium phosphate withchondrocytes and/or other cartilage forming cells.

Due to the nature of the reaction used to produce preferred formulationsof the inventive PCA calcium phosphate, the ease of use as an implantmaterial in a surgical setting is significantly improved over other bonesubstitute materials known to the art. Specifically, the reaction isinitiated outside the body and proceeds slowly at room temperaturethereby minimizing the possibility that the material will "set up" andbecome unusable prior to application to the surgical site. The reactionaccelerates significantly at body temperature and the material hardensin place. Furthermore, the consistency and formability of the inventivePCA calcium phosphate as well as the reaction speed may be variedaccording to the therapeutic need, by modifying a few simple parameters.

Preparation of a PCA Calcium Phosphate. Many amorphous calciumphosphates tend to spontaneously convert to a more crystalline form overtime. Hydroxyapatite is a thermodynamically favored form of calciumphosphate and is often the product of such conversion. The instantinvention has recognized the value of a controlled conversion of an ACPto a more crystalline form (e.g. PCA calcium phosphate) withoutsignificant further crystallization, particularly when the conversion isperformed in the presence of a limited amount of water and isaccompanied by a hardening reaction. The instant invention providesreactions which lead to the formation of PCA calcium phosphate. Thesereactions advantageously may be initiated outside of the body, using aprecursor having a paste or putty consistency and may be significantlyaccelerated at 37° C. leading to a hardened calcium phosphate product.In some embodiments, the hardened PCA calcium phosphate alone has adurometer and bulk modulus similar to traditional blackboard chalk. Insome instances, hardened PCA material will be associated with thepresence of unreacted precursors, promoters, and/or supplementalmaterials, side products and by-products.

According to the method of the invention, a paste- or putty-likehydrated precursor is formed by addition of water to a calcium phosphateprecursor. The hydrated precursor is then heated to about 37° C.,thereby initiating a substantially net endothermic reaction which ischaracterized by hardening of the paste or putty, as indicated by thedifferential scanning calorimeter (DSC) data shown in FIG. 16. Inpreferred embodiments, the PCA calcium phosphate material is producedfrom a hydrated precursor by conversion of a reactive amorphous calciumphosphate to PCA calcium phosphate in the presence of a promoter.Promoting the conversion of ACP in a paste form to well crystallizedhydroxyapatite, accompanied by hardening of the paste via an endothermicreaction is also considered to be within the scope of the invention

An endothermically setting bone cement provides several importantadvantages over calcium phosphate bone cements and fillers known in theart. Because the reaction does not give off heat there is no danger ofheat related damage to cells and tissues in the implant area.Additionally, the endothermic nature of the reaction means reactionprogress can be controlled by regulating the amount of heat available tosupport the reaction. The hydrated precursor reacts minimally at roomtemperature and below. This means that many of the handling problemsassociated with surgical cements and fillers known to the art areavoided.

In preferred embodiments, the reactants are mixed outside of the body,yielding a hydrated PCA calcium phosphate precursor material suitablefor application to a surgical site. The reaction generally is completedafter application to the surgical site, although in some embodiments thereaction is completed ex vivo. The PCA calcium phosphate reactions ofthe invention generally lead to hardening of the hydrated precursor inless than five hours, substantially hardening in about one to five hoursunder physiological conditions, and preferably in about 10-30 minutes.In a preferred embodiment, the reaction is initiated by addingphysiological saline to a mixture of two dry components to form a thickpaste which hardens in association with an endothermic reaction at 37°C. in about a half an hour. Other aqueous agents such as but not limitedto, water, buffer solutions, serum or tissue culture medium may be usedin place of saline water.

Under any reaction scheme it is important that the ACP retainssignificant amorphous character prior to conversion. Specifically, theoverall crystallinity within the starting ACP cannot exceed that desiredin the end product. Thus certain reaction schemes may requirestabilization of the amorphous nature of the ACP throughout the reactionperiod. Examples of suitable such inhibitors of crystal formation knownto the art include carbonate, pyrophosphate, and magnesium. Additionalguidance for the use of inhibitors of crystallization may be found inElliot, Structure and Chemistry of the Apatites and Other CalciumOrthophosphates, Elsevier, The Netherlands, 1994, herein incorporated byreference.

Types of Promoters. The purpose of the promoter is to promote thehardening of the hydrated precursor and preferably to accelerate theconversion of ACP to a PCA calcium phosphate. Any material or methodwhich serves this purpose is considered to be within the scope of thereaction. This includes the limited case where hardening occurs in theabsence of conversion, that is when a PCA calcium phosphate precursor isused as the starting material.

With respect to the conversion of ACP, a promoter may promote theoverall reaction or any intermediate reactions involved in theconversion or hardening process. In this regard preferred promoters willreduce the activation energy for one or more specific steps in theconversion or hardening process.

The promoter used to convert a reactive ACP to the inventive PCA calciumphosphate may itself be converted to PCA calcium phosphate calciumphosphate or otherwise participate in a chemical or physical reactionduring the conversion process. Such promoters are referred to herein as"participating" promoters.

Alternatively a promoter may remain substantially unchanged during thereactive ACP conversion serving essentially to catalyze or to initiateor enhance PCA nucleation and hardening. These promoters are referred toas "passive" promoters.

Promotion of the hardening and conversion of a reactive ACP to PCAcalcium phosphate through the use of other means such as the use ofheat, pressure, reactive gases, solvents, ionic solutions, orradiochemistry is also considered within the scope of the invention.Such promoting means are termed reaction enhancing or "enhancing"promoters.

Promoters may have different abilities or strengths in the promotion ofthe production of a hardened PCA calcium phosphate from ACP. Likewise,not all ACPs are equally reactive. Thus weak promoters will not alwaysbe effective in reacting with ACPs with low reactivity. In suchcircumstances stronger promoters will be preferred. Promoter strengthmay conveniently be tested by comparing the reactivity of a givenpromoter with the preferred carbonated ACP of the invention in both itsheat activated highly reactive form as well as its non heat activatedform using the method described in Example 8. The use of hand mixing ofreactants is particularly suited for identification of highly reactivepromoters. Less reactive promoters may benefit from mixing in anautomated mill as described in Example 9. By use of these methods DCPDwith the grain size distribution of B1 in example 10 was demonstrated tobe a weak promoter, where as grain sizes in the range of <100 μm werefound to be strongly reaction promoting.

In addition to the guidance given above for the matching of a particularpromoter to a given ACP, such matching may be done empirically by mixinga given ACP with a selected promoter in the presence of about 1.0 mLwater/g powder and heating the mixture at 37° C. in a moist environment.A suitable promoter exhibits PCA calcium phosphate formation and pastehardening under these conditions.

The method of preparation of the promoter and/or the ACP will affect theease by which the hydrated precursor is converted into the PCA material.As noted above, the method of mixing the powdered reactants prior toaddition of liquid affects the reactivity of the system. Thus, handmixing using a mortar and pestle does not result in as reactive a systemas a prolonged machine grinding of the reactant powders. Therefore whencomparing promoters, it is important to used standardized preparationconditions.

It is hypothesized that the conversion of ACP to the reactive PCAcalcium phosphate is a surface catalyzed phenomenon. If so, it may bedesirable to produce a particular promoter with a reproducible surfacearea. Thus, to control reaction reproducibility it is advantageous toprovide a promoter with a known grain size distribution. Standardsieving techniques are suitable for selection of specific grain sizes.

Many calcium or phosphate-containing compounds may be used asparticipating promoters in the hardening reaction. A calcium phosphatepromoter, may be of any crystalline structure and should be chosen so asto be reactive with ACP either directly or through the use of enhancingpromoters. Preferred participating promoters are those which tendthemselves to undergo conversion to hydroxyapatite through anintermediate PCA calcium phosphate phase.

Appropriate participating calcium phosphate promoters include neutral,basic and acidic calcium phosphates, preferably apatitic phosphates,which provide the appropriate stoichiometry for reaction to obtain anapatitic calcium phosphate. Suitable calcium phosphate promotersinclude, but are in no way limited to, calcium metaphosphate, dicalciumphosphate dihydrate, monetite, heptacalcium phosphate, tricalciumphosphates, calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate, hydroxyapatite, poorlycrystalline apatitic calcium phosphate, tetracalcium phosphate, calciumpyrophosphate, octacalcium phosphate, and a second ACP. Other sources ofphosphate or calcium, such as by way of example only, CaO, CaCO₃,calcium acetate, and H₃ PO₄, may be mixed to form a final product toyield a desired Ca/P ratio close to natural bone. It may be desirable toprovide the second component in the amorphous or poorly crystallinestate, as well.

In a preferred embodiment, DCPD is used as a participating promoter witha grain size less than 200 μm, in more preferred embodiments with anaverage grain size of <95 μm, and in most preferred embodiments with anaverage grain size of about 35-45 μm and a grain size maximum of lessthan about 110 μm.

In those cases where amorphous calcium phosphate is used as the soleprecursor to produce the inventive PCA calcium phosphate it is importantto control the natural tendency of the ACP to convert to highlycrystalline hydroxyapatite. On the other hand, the rate of conversionand hardening should be fast enough to have surgical utility. Oneapproach is to combine a precursor ACP containing an inhibitor ofcrystal formation (e.g. the ACP of Example 5) with an ACP that does notcontain an inhibitor of crystal formation (e.g., a promoter). Thereactants may be mixed in a dry state, with the appropriate particulatesize and an excess of the inhibitor-containing ACP. The reactants canthen be exposed to crystal-forming conditions such as the addition ofwater, followed by an elevation in temperature, such as that whichoccurs following introduction into the body, to convert the reactants tothe PCA calcium phosphate of the invention. Unless steps are taken tofurther promote this reaction, the use of ACP as a promoter alone leadsto a PCA calcium phosphate that does not tend to harden exceptionallywell.

It is an interesting and unexpected feature of the inventive reactionthat along with ACP, a participating promoter may likewise be convertedto PCA calcium phosphate. This has been demonstrated experimentally forboth DCPD and stoichiometric hydroxyapatite. Thus the conversion of acrystalline calcium phosphate to a less crystalline state in asubstantially endothermic reaction has been shown for the first time.

While the conversion of ACP to PCA calcium phosphate has beendemonstrated herein above, it is recognized that alternative materialsmay also be converted to a PCA calcium phosphate. Thus the production ofa hydrated precursor paste from a crystalline calcium phosphate(including PCA calcium phosphate) in the presence of a limited amount ofwater in association with a net endothermic reaction at 37° C. andaccompanied by paste hardening is considered within the scope of theinvention. A preferred embodiment of this approach features a PCAcalcium phosphate and a DCPD as reactants to produce a PCA calciumphosphate bioceramic

Hydroxyapatite is a thermodynamically favored form of calcium phosphate.It is therefore also within the scope of the invention to promote theconversion of the reactive ACP into a PCA calcium phosphate inassociation with hardening of a hydrated precursor, through the use ofpromoters which themselves do not convert to PCA calcium phosphate (orhydroxyapatite). Suitable such promoters are termed "passive" andinclude, but are not limited to nucleation causing substances andcatalysts. Particularly suitable in this regard are substances whichprovide reactive surfaces which weakly promote apatitic crystallizationto produce a poorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate.

In one aspect, the invention features the use of passive promoters whichare of limited solubility or insoluble in the aqueous liquid used tohydrate the ACP. Suitable promoters include, but are not limited to,metals, metal oxides, ceramics, silicates, sugars, salts, or polymericparticulate. For many applications preferred promoters will bethemselves biodegradable. In general these substances are provided ingranular form with a grain size in the range of 1 to 500 μm, preferably1 to 300 μm, and most preferably 1 to 200 μm. The actual grain size usedmay be varied to improve the reaction promoting characteristics of theparticular substance.

Table 2 of Example 3 reports the effect of a variety of passivepromoters in the conversion of ACP to PCA calcium phosphate in thepresence of a limited volume of water. Generally the promoter is presentin an amount less than or equal to the ACP, and specifically in therange of about 1:1 to about 5:1 ACP:promoter. An amount of water (here,weight=volume, since density of water is one) approximately equal to thetotal weight of the two dry components is used to prepare a paste.Actual proportions of ACP, promoter and water can be convenientlydetermined by mixing the components in varying amounts and selecting theformulation which leads to a hardened PCA calcium phosphate at 37° C. inthe desired amount of time. Preferred passive promoters include but arenot limited to granular forms of SiO₂, mica, Al₂ O₃, poly(L-lactide)(PLLA), polyglycolide (PGA), and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)copolymers.

Lastly, suitable enhancing promoters include, but are not limited to,water, heat, salts and additional calcium phosphate sources. In generalthese substances act to enhance the reactivity of ACP with a secondcalcium phosphate thereby promoting the conversion of ACP to PCA calciumphosphate. Conversion reactions may include acid/base, displacement,substitution, and hydrolysis reactions.

The inventive reaction permits one to design and modify the chemicalcomposition of the resultant product, thereby providing a further modeof controlling bioactivity of the final product. Because the amorphouscalcium phosphate tends to react completely with the other solids, theCa/P of the resultant solid will be determined by the total calcium andphosphates present as starting materials. This permits reliablemanufacture of PCA calcium phosphate products simply by selection of therelative proportions of the starting amorphous and secondary calciumphosphates. It is generally desirable to maintain a calcium to phosphateratio of about 1.1-1.9, preferably less than 1.5, and most preferablyabout 1.4.

A particularly useful approach is to form the precursor paste into theapproximate shape or size and then harden the material in vitro in amoist environment at 37° C. If desired, the hardened material may thenbe precisely milled or machined to the desired shape prior to use in thesurgical setting. In those cases where storage of the hardened materialis desired, it may be useful to enhance the stability of the inventivePCA calcium phosphate. In such cases, exposure of the pre-formed objectto inhibitors of hydroxyapatite crystallization may be useful.Inhibitors may be added to the aqueous medium used to prepare theinventive PCA calcium phosphate calcium phosphate. Alternatively, thefinished material or objects made from it may be exposed to aninhibitory substance. Suitable such inhibitors include but are notlimited to magnesium, carbonate, pyrophosphate, poly L-glutamate,polyacrylate, phosvitin, casein, and protein-polysaccharides. Guidancefor the use of such compounds can be found in Termine et al. Arch.Biochem. Biophys. 140:318-325 (1970) incorporated herein by reference.Storage at 4° C. or preferably colder temperatures such as -20° C. or75° C. will also retard crystallization.

In the embodiments described above, the paste or putty is hardened at37° C. Hardening at 37° C. is important for in vivo application of thehydrated precursor; however, the reaction proceeds at both higher andlower temperatures. This reactivity range may be taken advantage of whenthe paste or putty is to be hardened outside the body. In such cases,higher temperatures may be employed to further accelerate the hardeningprocess. In this regard temperatures less than about 48° C. arepreferred.

For in vitro hardening the use of a moist environment is useful(although not critical) because the reaction tends to consume water. Inaddition it is desirable to avoid evaporative water loss of the samplewhile it is hardening. Thus, use of a reaction chamber with a highambient humidity is preferred (>80%, preferably 100% humidity).Alternatively the reaction and hardening process can often be performedunder water.

The PCA calcium phosphate materials and composites of the invention areporous. Air dried samples can generally absorb water to an extent of 20%or more of their total volume. In many embodiments amounts of watergreater than 30% of the total sample volume may be absorbed and in somepreferred embodiments, water in amounts of greater than 40% preferablygreater than 50% of the sample volume may be absorbed.

Any approach affecting the porosity of the hardened sample may beemployed, although preferred approaches include the use of controlledcompression molding for ex vivo fabrication and the use of specificpromoter grain sizes for either ex vivo or in vivo hardening. Thereaction may be performed in a chamber or mold to any pressure up to atleast five tons.

In establishing new formulations of the inventive material it will beuseful to know the nature and extent of the reaction. A number of testsfor the identification of reaction products and reaction completenessmay be used.

Hardness may be determined by simple inspection or manually probing thereaction product. The use of quantitative measures employing load cellsand force transducers is however preferred. Hardness alone does notnecessarily confirm conversion, although the inventive reactions havebeen designed so that hardening is accompanied by conversion.

The X-ray spectra of the inventive PCA calcium phosphate is presented inFIG. 18. As can be seen from the figure the spectrum is characterized bybroad peaks at approximately 2θ=26 and 32. An additional broad shoulderoccurs at approximately 2θ=29 and another may be present atapproximately 2θ=33.6. Absent from the spectra are any additional sharppeaks or sharp shoulders characteristic of crystalline hydroxyapatiteoccurring in the range of 2θ=27-34. In particular there are no sharppeaks or shoulders corresponding to Miller's Indices of 210, 112, or 300for hydroxyapatite.

FTIR spectrum is characterized by peaks at 563 cm⁻¹, 1034 cm⁻¹, 1638cm⁻¹ and 3432 cm⁻¹ (±2 cm⁻¹). Sharp shoulders are observed at 603 cm⁻¹and 875 cm⁻¹, with a doublet having maxima at 1422 cm⁻¹ and 1457 cm⁻¹(see, FIG. 6c).

For some embodiments it may be desirable to actually to have thepresence of some unreacted crystalline calcium phosphate presentfollowing conversion (e.g. DCPD or hydroxyapatite). In suchcircumstances, the quantities of second calcium phosphate may beadjusted relative to the quantity of ACP present. Alternatively,reactions using a weaker promoter or less reactive ACP may also resultin some unreacted starting materials. Mixtures of PCA calcium phosphateand DCPD, or PCA calcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite or PCA calciumphosphate and other reactants are within the scope of the invention. Insome limited cases, the use of PCA calcium phosphate itself (provided ithas a significant amorphous character) in place of ACP is possible.

An implantable bioceramic material may be prepared in precursor form asa paste or putty by addition of a fluid to the precursor materials andmixing, The precursor materials may include an ACP, a promoter andadditional supplementary materials if required (in some cases some orall of these constituents may be partially pre-hydrated). The mixing ofthe components may occur in any convenient order. The components may bemixed and/or physically ground prior to the addition of fluid.Alternatively fluid may be added to a single dry component, and thenadditional dry components added to complete the paste.

A wide variety of proportions of reactants may be used, in most casesthe absolute ratio of constituents will depend on the circumstances ofthe intended use. For systems employing only an ACP and a participatingpromoter the reactants will generally be used in equal amounts byweight. Water will also be added in a weight approximately equal to thecombined weight of the other dry reactants.

In a preferred embodiment, a DCPD with grain size distribution similarto distribution B3 from Example 10 and a highly reactive carbonated ACPfrom Example 5 with an ACP:DCPD ratio of 0.5 g: 0.5 g may be combinedwith water in amounts ranging from 0.7 to 1.3 mL.

In the case of reactions involving passive promoters and ACP alone, ithas been found that ACP:promoter proportions in the range of about 5:1to 1:1 work well. For a total weight of reactants of 1 gram, 0.5 to 1.5mL water may be used.

Empirical determination of appropriate amounts of reactants and watermay be made by (a) establishing ratios of dry components and water thatlead to the formation of a workable paste or putty; (b) selecting thoseformulations which lead to hardening in a suitable amount of time (mostoften 20 to 60 minutes) at 37° C.; and/or (c) testing the performance ofthe selected formulations in a suitable model system (e.g. in vivosubcutaneous resorption or in vitro tissue culture resorption models).

In some preferred embodiments (e.g., Examples 8-10), the reaction occursslowly at room temperature and is almost undetectable below 18 or 19° C.(see DSC example). The reaction is accelerated at higher temperatures,and particularly at body temperature. This property is particularlyuseful in a surgical situation, since the hydrated precursor pasteformed by mixing reactants with a limited volume of water remainsinjectable and/or formable for a considerable period of time (up toseveral hours) while held at room temperature, provided care is taken toprevent evaporative moisture loss. Thus, at room temperature in air (ca.22° C.) the paste hardens after a time greater than one hour and remainsformable and/or injectable for longer than 10 minutes, and preferablylonger than one hour and most preferably longer than three hours.Following injection at the implant site (ca. 37° C.), the paste hardensin less than about an hour, preferably in about 10-30 minutes. When heldat 4° C. the paste is not hard even after several days, provided carehas been taken to prevent evaporative moisture loss. Alternatively, oncethe material has been implanted, hardening can be accelerated byapplication of heat to the implant. Heat may be applied through the useof lasers, ultrasound, and the like, or by other means including the useof pharmaceuticals to locally raise or lower the body temperature.

Depending upon the amount of fluid added, the mixture of an ACP and apromoter results in a hydrated precursor mixture with varyingconsistency. By selecting the appropriate amount of liquid to be addedto the reactants, the viscosity of the precursor paste may be adjustedaccording to need. The paste may be prepared either with an injectableor a formable consistency or it may be prepared with just enough liquidto be both injectable and formable.

Injectable paste is generally prepared by mixture of the reactants in anamount of water or buffer sufficient to produce the desired consistencyfor injection. Most often this will be as thick as possible while stillbeing able to be passed through a 16-18 gauge syringe. For someformulations requiring injection directly into solid tissue (e.g. intocortical bone of an osteoporosis patient) thinner consistencies (e.g.,1.5 mL H₂ O/g dry precursors) may be desired. Because of the lowcrystallinity of the component solids in the paste, the material hasmarkedly improved flow characteristics over prior art compositions. Flowcharacteristics of the resultant paste are toothpaste-like while priorart materials inherit a granular or oat meal-like consistency. The pastemay be prepared before use, up to a period of several hours if held atroom temperature and evaporative water loss is minimized. Even whensteps are taken to minimize evaporation, holding at room temperature issometimes accompanied by drying out of the hydrated materials. In suchinstances, a small amount of water may be added and mixed to restore thedesired consistency. The storage time may be extended by maintaining thepaste at reduced temperatures in the range of 1-10° C. in therefrigerator provided steps are taken to minimize evaporative waterloss.

In another preferred embodiment, a formable paste or putty may beprepared, which can be introduced into the implant site. The formableprecursor is generally prepared by mixture of the dry reactants in anamount of water or buffer sufficient to produce the desired consistencyfor forming. Most often this will be as thick as possible while stillbeing formable by hand, although thinner more flowable consistencies maybe desirable for many applications. In many embodiments the preferredconsistency will be similar to that of clay or glazing compound. Thehydrated material may be prepared before use, up to a period of severalhours if held at room temperature or below and evaporative water loss isminimized. The storage time may be extended by maintaining the hydratedmaterial at reduced temperatures in the range of 1-10° C. in therefrigerator provided steps are taken to minimize evaporative waterloss.

Application to the implant site will be performed according to thenature of the specific indication and the preferences of the surgeon.Similar considerations apply for cartilaginous implants as for bone.Injection techniques will be employed to deliver the inventive PCAcalcium phosphate precursors directly into hard tissue (e.g. forosteoporosis patients) or into small fractures. For larger fracturesputty-like consistencies will be preferred and will be implanted by handor with a spatula or the like. Reconstruction will often use putty likeforms but in some instances it will be more advantageous to pre-form,harden, and shape the material ex-vivo and implant a hardened form.Exposure or mixing of the material with blood or body fluids isacceptable and in many cases will be preferred as a method to promoteosteo- or chondrogenesis. Implantation into soft tissues may employ anyof the above approaches.

Formation of the reactive amorphous calcium phosphate. In preferredembodiments an ACP is converted in the presence of a promoter and waterto PCA calcium phosphate. The use of an amorphous calcium phosphate,which can react quickly and completely to a product PCA calciumphosphate without significant further crystallization, provides a novelroute to a highly resorbable calcium phosphate, with a variety ofmedical uses. The promoters of the instant invention promote conversionand hardening either by direct participation as a reactant along withACP, or passively by serving as catalysts, nucleators or reactionenhancing agents, or in a combination of modes.

Not all ACPs have the same reactivity with a given promoter, and theirreactivity is generally compared relative to their reactivity with aDCPD of grain distribution similar to B1 in Table 3. Examples 10 and 11describe a variety of ACPs which have been tested for reactivity withsuch a DCPD. Use of a stronger DCPD promoter with a smaller grain sizefacilitates the reaction with weakly-reactive or otherwise un reactiveACPs. Generally less reactive ACPs will require the use of strongerpromoters and in some cases combinations of promoters.

In a preferred embodiment, a highly reactive ACP is employed. Hydratedprecursors comprising this ACP are capable of undergoing hardening andconversion either in the presence of a strong promoter such as a DCPDwith small grain size (e.g. <63 μm) or in the presence of a relativelyweak promoter such as a DCPD sample comprising a substantial amount ofgrains greater than 100 μm (e.g. distribution B1). One highly reactiveACP is a carbonated ACP which has been activated by heat treatment forapproximately one hour at 460° C.

The invention also provides a test for identifying suitable reactiveprecursors for the inventive PCA calcium phosphate. The test comprisescombining an amorphous calcium phosphate, DCPD, and water, producing ahydrated PCA calcium phosphate precursor substance and demonstrating itsability to harden in about 10 to 60 minutes at or around bodytemperature. Reactants found to produce hardened PCA calcium phosphatein this test may then be placed intramuscularly in a test animal andchecked for biological resorbability. One hundred milligrams (100 mg),and preferably three hundred milligrams (300 mg), of PCA calciumphosphate thus prepared will resorb in less than 12 months, preferablyless than 6 months and most preferably in less than 2 months in a ratmuscle. Further 80% of one gram placed intramuscularly will be resorbedin the same time frame. Alternatively, at least 2 g placedsubcutaneously will be fully resorbed in rat in less than 12 months,preferably less than 6 months and most preferably in less than 2 months.For the identification of less reactive forms of ACP it is preferred touse a weak DCPD promoter. Similar tests may also be established usingother participant or passive promoters.

The method of the present invention permits initial formation ofamorphous calcium phosphate particles of less than 1000 Å, preferably200-500 Å, and most preferably 300 Å, the further growth of which arecurtailed by rapid precipitation of the product from solution. In FIG.1, a high-resolution transmission electron micrograph is shown toillustrate the morphological characteristics and the angstrom-scalenature of the preferred reactive amorphous calcium phosphate of theinvention. Note the unclear boundaries separating the globule-likeclusters, lacking clear edges and surfaces, in contrast to crystallinematerial.

During reaction of calcium and phosphate ion sources to form anamorphous calcium phosphate, a third ion may be introduced in thesolution so that these ions are incorporated in the amorphousprecipitate structure instead of trivalent PO₄ ³⁻ group(s). Because somePO₄ ³⁻ is replaced by the third ion, the overall PO₄ ³⁻ -decreases, thusincreasing the Ca/P ratio of the amorphous precipitate (as compared tostandard amorphous calcium phosphate) and modifying the valence orcharge state of the calcium phosphate. The amorphous solids then may berapidly freeze-dried to preserve the chemical and physical properties ofthe material. The amorphous solids then may be treated under specificconditions selected to promote removal of at least some of the thirdion. In the case of carbonate, specific temperature and pressureconditions lead to the reduction of total carbon, presumably as gaseouscarbon dioxide from the amorphous solid, while maintaining theamorphicity.

The source of the enhanced reactivity is not completely understood;however, it is believed to be associated with the degree of amorphicity(lack of crystallinity) and, in some embodiments, site vacancies in thematerial, as created by the process of the present invention. Sitevacancies as envisioned herein refer to the lack of one pair of an ionpair (e.g. CO₃ ²⁻) missing from CaCO₃ in a material containing many ionpairs. The presence of site vacancies may provide reactive sites forsubsequent reaction. This stoichiometric imbalance may be responsiblefor the increased reactivity of the amorphous calcium phosphate

The reactive ACP is a substantially amorphous solid with a higher Ca/Pratio than is typically found in amorphous calcium phosphates, which hasgenerally been reported in the past to be about 1.50.

The amorphous state is induced by controlling the rate and duration ofthe precipitation process. The amorphous hydroxyapatite of the presentinvention is precipitated from solution under conditions where initialprecipitation is rapid. Rapid crystal or grain growth enhances thenumber of defects within each grain, thereby increasing solubility. Atthe extreme end of the spectrum, crystal or grain growth is so rapid anddefect density is so significant that an amorphous calcium phosphateresults. Amorphous calcium phosphate is gel-like and includes solidsolutions with variable compositions. These gels have no long rangestructure, but are homogeneous when measured on an Angstrom scale. Underphysiological conditions, these amorphous compounds have highsolubilities, high formation rates and high rates of conversion to PCAcalcium phosphate.

The amorphous calcium phosphate solids produced by this method retaintheir amorphous nature sufficiently long enough to be introduced intothe final reaction as substantially amorphous solids.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a solution is prepared whichcontains calcium and phosphate ions and a third ion in a concentration,at a pH and at a temperature which will promote the rapid nucleation andprecipitation of calcium phosphate. When precipitation is sufficientlyrapid, an amorphous gel-like calcium phosphate is formed. Because thethermodynamically favored crystalline form of hydroxyapatite is enhancedby reducing the rate of reaction, certain processing steps of increasingthe rate of reaction may be taken to ensure that an amorphous compoundis obtained. The following factors, among others, are to be consideredwhen designing a solution for the rapid precipitation of the amorphouscalcium phosphate of the present invention.

Preferred conditions: Rapid mixture of calcium and phosphate sources toincrease the rate of reaction. The rate of reaction is increased tofavor non-stable phases as a product. Allowing more reaction time foreach of the ions to juxtapose correctly to form a solid will result in amore thermodynamically favorable crystalline and stable structure.

Preferred calcium and phosphate sources: The use of highly concentratedor near supersaturation solutions ensures that a more rapid reactionwill occur.

Preferred temperature: Although the reaction can be carried out at roomtemperature, temperatures of near boiling point to increase theconcentration of one reactant is a possible means of increasing the rateof reaction.

In one embodiment, an aqueous solution of calcium ions, phosphate ionsand carbonate ions are mixed together rapidly to obtain a carbonatecontaining amorphous calcium phosphate solid. The relativeconcentrations of the ions are selected to give a precipitate having thedesired Ca/P ratio. The carbonate ion substitutes for a phosphate ion inthe amorphous calcium phosphate. The carbonated amorphous calciumphosphate may be obtained by precipitation from an aqueous carbonatesolution. Suitable aqueous carbonate solutions include, by way ofexample only, bicarbonate solution, sodium carbonate solution, potassiumcarbonate solution. It is further contemplated as within the scope ofthe invention to use non-aqueous solutions.

Use of a carbonated material is desirable because it permitsmanipulation of the Ca/P ratio by substitution of PO₄ ³⁻ by CO₃ ²⁻.Additionally, the presence of CO₃.sup.²⁻ is known to retard thedevelopment of crystallinity in amorphous calcium phosphate. It isrecognized, however, that other ions or a mixture of ions may besuitable in place of or in addition to carbonate ion in modifying theCa/P ratio and in introduction of reactive site vacancies into theamorphous calcium phosphate, such as by way of example only, nitrate,nitrite, acetate, Mg⁺² and P₂ O₇ ⁴⁻ ions.

The amorphous calcium phosphate precipitate may be collected andfiltered prior to activation. It is preferred to perform this step in acold room or at sub-ambient temperatures so as to preserve the amorphousstate of the precipitate collected. Collection may typically may becarried out by any conventional means, including, but in no way limitedto gravity filtration, vacuum filtration or centrifugation. Thecollected precipitate is gelatinous and is washed more than once withdistilled water.

The washed precipitate is then dried under any conditions which maintainthe amorphous character of the material. Lyophilization is a suitable,but not exclusive, technique. Upon freezing, the precipitate while keptfrozen, is dried to remove the bulk of the entrained liquid. Thisprocedure may be accomplished by placing the frozen precipitate into avacuum chamber for a given period of time. Freeze-drying typicallyoccurs at liquid nitrogen temperatures for a time in the range of 12-78hrs, preferably about 24 hours, and under a vacuum in the range of 10⁻¹-10⁻⁴, preferably 10⁻², torr. A preferred method includes lyophilizationbecause the cryogenic temperatures typically used in lyophilizationinhibit further crystallization of the material. As a result, theamorphous calcium phosphate obtained thereby is an extremely fine freeflowing powder.

The dried ACP may then be activated to a highly reactive ACP. In apreferred embodiment, where carbonate is present in the ACP, the ACPpowder is heated to drive off remaining free water, water of hydration,and to remove carbon, presumably through the decomposition of CO₃ ²⁻into CO₂ and oxygen. The heating step is carried out at a temperature ofless than 500° C. but more than 425° C., so as to prevent conversion ofthe amorphous calcium phosphate into crystalline hydroxyapatite. Heatingis preferably carried out at a temperature in the range of 450-460° C.for 1 to 6 hours preferably for 50 to 90 minutes.

Atmospheric pressure is used for convenience in most of the embodimentsfor production of ACP described herein. However, the use of vacuum withappropriate temperatures is considered to be within the scope of theinvention.

To produce a highly reactive ACP it is desirable to maintain theamorphous property of the material throughout the entire ACP synthesis.If significant crystallinity in its entirety (single crystallineregions) or even in local domains (microcrystalline regions) isintroduced during the process or in the final product, the solid hasbeen found to become less reactive. The resultant highly reactivecalcium phosphate is amorphous in nature and has a calcium tophosphorous ratio in the range of 1.55 to 1.65. In a preferredembodiment, the amorphous calcium phosphate has a Ca/P ratio of about1.58.

Low crystallinity and site vacancies (porosity and/or stoichiometricchanges) may account for the observed higher reactivity of the amorphouscalcium phosphate of the present invention. This is supported by thefollowing observations: a.) A carbonate-containing amorphous calciumphosphate which has been heated to 525° C. is observed to have anincreased crystalline content and to have a corresponding decrease inreactivity. b.) Amorphous calcium phosphate that is heated to only 400°C. retains its amorphous characteristic, but exhibits a decreasedreactivity. c.) Non-carbonated ACPs heated to 460° C. have been studiedusing the DCPD reaction (as described in example 8) and while reactivewith a strong DCPD promoter were not reactive with a weak DCPD promoter.

These observations suggest that both amorphicity and decreased carboncontent (vacant reactive sites) are a factor in reactivity. This is notintended to be in any way an exclusive explanation for the basis ofreactivity. Other basis for the observed reactivity are considered to bewithin the scope of the invention.

The resulting amorphous calcium phosphate powder is a highly reactiveamorphous calcium phosphate material with a Ca/P ratio of between1.1-1.9, preferably about 1.55 to 1.65, and most preferably about 1.58.FIGS. 17a and 17b illustrate the infrared spectra of the amorphouscalcium phosphate after lyophilization process (FIG. 17a) and after thesubsequent heat treatment at 450° C. for 1 hr (FIG. 17b). Infrared peaksillustrating presence of local chemical groups in the material show thatthe presence of H--O--H (at approximately 3,400 cm-1 and 1640 cm-1 ) andCO₃ ²⁻ group (at 1420-1450 cm-1) are significantly reduced after heattreatment. However, the x-ray diffraction patterns in FIG. 4a of heatactivated ACP demonstrate that the amorphous state is retained afterheating and lyophilization. The XRD pattern is characterized by broadpeaks and undefined background with absence of sharp peaks between 2θ=20to 35 or at any diffraction angles that correspond to known crystallinecalcium phosphates.

The Ca/P measurement performed using wave length-dispersive X-rayanalysis on an electron micro-probe of the same material after heattreatment yields Ca/P to be 1.58 (FIG. 2).

These characterizations demonstrate that although there is a change inthe local moiety of certain groups in the amorphous calcium phosphatesolids, the overall amorphicity is maintained throughout the process.

The preparation of the PCA calcium phosphate as a composite material maysometimes be desirable in order to provide an implant with differentproperties than the inventive PCA calcium phosphates. Furthermore, theconsistency, formability and hardness of the PCA calcium phosphate, aswell as the reaction speed, may be varied according to the therapeuticneed by selection of the appropriate supplementary materials from whichto prepare the implantable bioceramic composite material of theinvention.

Composites may be prepared by combining the PCA calcium phosphatecalcium phosphate of the invention with a selected supplementarymaterial. The PCA calcium phosphate calcium phosphate phase may serve asa reinforcing material, a matrix or both. The PCA calcium phosphate ofthe invention in it's initial paste form in preferred embodimentstypically maintains a pH of about 6-7 and is therefore compatible with awide range of additives without deleterious effect. The supplementarymaterial is selected based upon its compatibility with calcium phosphateand its ability to impart properties (biological, chemical ormechanical) to the composite, which are desirable for a particulartherapeutic purpose. For example, the supplementary material may beselected to improve tensile strength and hardness, increase fracturetoughness, alter elasticity, provide imaging capability, and/or alterflow properties and setting times of the bone substitute material. Thesupplementary materials are desirably biocompatible, that is, there isno detrimental reaction induced by the material when introduced into thehost.

The supplementary material may be added to the PCA calcium phosphate invarying amounts and in a variety of physical forms, dependent upon theanticipated therapeutic use. The supplementary material may be in theform of sponges (porous structure), meshes, films, fibers, gels,filaments or particles, including micro- and nanoparticles. Thesupplementary material itself may be a composite. The supplementarymaterial may be used as a particulate or liquid additive or doping agentwhich is mixed intimately with the resorbable PCA calcium phosphatecalcium phosphate. The supplementary material may serve as a matrix forthe PCA calcium phosphate which is embedded or dispersed within thematrix. Alternatively, the PCA calcium phosphate may serve as a matrixfor the supplementary material, which is dispersed therein. Thesupplementary material may be applied as a coating onto a PCA calciumphosphate body, for example, as a post-fabrication coating to retardresorption time or otherwise affect the bioceramic material properties.Due to the high porosity and water absorption characteristics of theinventive PCA calcium phosphates, solid PCA calcium phosphate may beimpregnated with water soluble polymers by simple immersion in theaqueous polymer solution. Lastly, the supplementary material may becoated with PCA calcium phosphate.

In most instances, the supplementary material will be biocompatible andin many instances, it is desirable that the supplementary material alsobe bioresorbable. In many preferred embodiments, the supplementarymaterial will have an affinity for calcium, phosphate or calciumphosphates which will enhance the strength of thehydroxyapatite/supplementary material interface. The affinity may bespecific or mediated through non-specific ionic interactions. Suitablebioerodible polymers for use as a matrix in the composite include, butare not limited to, collagen, glycogen, chitin, celluloses, starch,keratins, silk, nucleic acids, demineralized bone matrix, derivativizedhyaluronic acid, polyanhydrides, polyorthoesters, polyglycolic acid,polylactic acid, and copolymers thereof. In particular, polyesters of αhydroxycarboxylic acids, such as poly(L-lactide) (PLLA),poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA), polyglycolide (PGA),poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), poly(D,L-lactide-co-trimethylenecarbonate), and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and polyanhydrides, such aspoly(anhydride-co-imide) and co-polymers thereof are known to bioerodeand are suitable for use in the present invention. In addition,bioactive glass compositions, such as compositions including SiO₂, Na₂O, CaO, P₂ O₅, Al₂ O₃ and/or CaF₂, may be used in combination with thepoorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate of the invention. Otheruseful bioerodible polymers may include polysaccharides, peptides andfatty acids.

Bioerodible polymers are advantageously used in the preparation ofresorbable hardware, such as pins, screws, plates and anchors forimplantation at a bone site. In preferred resorbable hardwareembodiments, the supplementary material itself is resorbable and isadded to the PCA calcium phosphate in particulate or fiber form atvolume fractions of 1-50% and preferably, 1-20 wt %. In some preferredembodiments, the resorbable fiber is in the form of whiskers whichinteract with calcium phosphates according to the principles ofcomposite design and fabrication known in the art. Such hardware may beformed by pressing a powder particulate mixture of the poorlycrystalline apatitic calcium phosphate and polymer. In one embodiment, aPCA calcium phosphate matrix is reinforced with PLLA fibers, using PLLAfibers similar to those described by Tormala et al., Clin. Mater.10:29-34 (1992) for the fabrication of biodegradable self-reinforcingcomposites.

The resorbable nature of the inventive PCA calcium phosphate as well asits ability to benignly interact with and adsorb proteins, nucleicacids, and other substances make it an ideal substance for use as animplantable depot for use in the delivery of therapeutic substances tothe body. In general, the main requirement is that the agent to bedelivered remains active in the presence of the vehicle duringfabrication and/or loading, or be capable of subsequently beingactivated or reactivated. The stability and/or compatibility of aparticular agent with the inventive material, as well as fabricationstrategies, may be tested empirically in vitro. Some representativeclasses of useful biological agents include organic molecules, proteins,peptides, nucleic acids, nucleoproteins polysaccharides, glycoproteins,lipoproteins, and synthetic and biologically engineered analogs thereof.

In one aspect of the invention, bone regenerative proteins (BRP) areincorporated into the inventive PCA calcium phosphate. BRPs have beendemonstrated to increase the rate of bone growth and accelerate bonehealing. A bone graft including the inventive PCA calcium phosphate andBRP is expected to promote bone healing even more rapidly than a bonegraft using the calcium phosphate of the present invention alone. Theefficacy of BRP is further enhanced by controlling PCA calcium phosphateresorption such that it dissolves at a rate that delivers BRP, calcium,and phosphorus at the optimum dosage for bone growth.

Such a method of incorporating BRP would include, but not limited to,mixing a buffer solution containing BRP with its optimum pH that wouldmaintain protein activity, instead of distilled water. Exemplary BRPsinclude, but are in no way limited to, Transforming Growth Factor-Beta,Cell-Attachment Factors, Endothelial Growth Factors, and BoneMorphogenetic Proteins. Such BRPs are currently being developed byGenetics Institute, Cambridge, Mass.; Genentech, Palo Alto, Calif.; andCreative Biomolecules, Hopkinton, Mass.

In another embodiment of the invention, it is contemplated toincorporate antibiotics or agents into the amorphous calcium phosphateand its mixture. From a clinical sense, one of the major implicationarising from a bone-graft surgery is a need to control thepost-operative inflammation or infection. A bone graft including theinventive PCA calcium phosphate and antibiotic(s) is expected to reducethe chances of local infection at the surgery site, contributing toinfection-free, thus faster bone healing process. The efficacy ofantibiotics is further enhanced by controlling their release from thePCA calcium phosphate delivery vehicle by regulating the resorption ratesuch that it dissolves at a rate that delivers antibiotic peptides orits active component at the most effective dosage to the tissue repairsite. Exemplary antibiotics include, but are in no way limited to,Penicillin, Chlortetracycline hydrochloride (Aureomycine),Chloramphenicol and Oxytetracycline (Terramycine). Both antibiotics,mostly polypeptides, and bone regenerating proteins may be intermixedwith the PCA calcium phosphate material of the present invention, tolocally deliver all or most of the necessary components in facilitatingoptimum condition for bone tissue repair.

Non resorbable apatitic bone fillers and cements may also be prepared bythe methods of the current invention by promoting the conversion of ACPto a more crystalline state than PCA calcium phosphate. In general useof more hydroxyapatite stoichiometric Ca/P ratios decrease use ofcrystallization inhibitors, and crystallization promoting conditionssuch as elevated temperatures will tend to drive the conversion to amore crystalline product.

The invention is further exemplified with reference to the followingexamples, which are presented for the purpose of illustration only andare not to be considered as limiting of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1.

Production of PCA calcium phosphate using an ACP and participatingpromoters. This example demonstrates the hardening properties and PCAcalcium phosphate formation from ACP using a number of differentparticipating promoters. Highly reactive ACP was prepared according toExample 5.

The nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite of samples 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3 wereprepared without inhibitors of crystallization as follows: 218 g ofdisodium hydrogen orthophosphate (Na₂ HPO₄.12H₂ O) were dissolved in1200 mL of solution of distilled water. For carbonated PCA calciumphosphate of samples 1-1 and 1-2, 80 g of NaHCO₃ were also added to thissolution. 70 g of calcium nitrate [Ca(NO₃)₂.4H₂ O] were dissolved in 500mL of distilled water. The calcium solution was quickly poured into thephosphate solution at room temperature with constant stirring.Precipitation was immediate and substantially complete. The pH of theprecipitate was adjusted to 7.4 by the addition of sodium hydroxidesolution in order to avoid the formation of acidic calcium phosphates.The precipitate was immediately separated from the solution byfiltration through a Buchner filter (with a total surface about 0.1sq.m), and was washed by about 3 liters of distilled water. A gel cakeof low crystallinity calcium phosphate was obtained on the filter paper.A portion of the gel cake was immediately lyophilized for samples 1-2and 1-3.

For sample 1-1 the gel cake was treated as follows: After filtration andwashing, an appropriate amount of distilled water (5 to 80 weight %) wasadded to the gel precipitate. The gel was homogenized by whippingenergetically for a few minutes. It was then cast intopolytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) molds (diameter 60 mm; height 2 mm), andsonicated for a few minutes in order to release the air bubbles trappedin the gel.

The molds were dried in a chamber at controlled temperature (5 to 37°C.) and humidity (10 to 95% RH). The samples shrank slowly on drying andreleased most of their water. The rate of drying and the shrinkage ofthe samples depended on the initial water content. The material hardenedon drying and became glassy. It contained about 10% of residual water.

The remaining hydroxyapatites and calcium sources were used as is fromcommercial sources.

                                      TABLE 1                                     __________________________________________________________________________    ACP Conversion Using Participating Promoters                                                    incubation                                                                         extent of                                                                            PCA* PCA* by                                    sample                                                                            participating promoter                                                                      at 37° C.                                                                   hardening                                                                            by FTIR                                                                            XRD                                        __________________________________________________________________________    1-1 carbonated nanocrystalline                                                                  30 min                                                                             starting to set                                                                      yes  ND                                             hydroxyapatite, air dried                                                                   2 hrs                                                                              hard                                                   1-2 carbonated nanocrystalline                                                                  30 min                                                                             hard   yes  yes                                            hydroxyapatite, lyophilized                                                                 2 hrs                                                                              hard                                                   1-3 non-carbonated nanocrystalline                                                              30 min                                                                             starting to set                                                                      yes  ND                                             hydrozyapatite, lyophilized                                                                 2 hrs                                                                              hard                                                   1-4 Aldrich hydroxyapatite                                                                      30 min                                                                             hard   yes  yes                                            grain size <15-30 μm                                                   1-5 Clarkson hydroxyapatite                                                                     30 min                                                                             starting to set                                                                      yes  ND                                             grain size >250 μm                                                     1-6 Monetite - non calcinated                                                                   30 min                                                                             soft   yes  ND                                             grain size    15 hrs                                                                             starting to set                                        1-7 CaCO.sub.3    30 min                                                                             starting to set                                                                      yes  ND                                                           15 hrs                                                      1-8 Ca(OH).sub.2  30 min                                                                             soft   yes and                                                                            ND                                                           15 hrs                                                                             starting to set                                                                      Ca(OH).sub.2                                    1-9 Ca(CH.sub.3 COO).sub.2                                                                      30 min                                                                             soft   yes  ND                                                           15 hrs                                                                             soft                                                   __________________________________________________________________________     *PCA = poorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate                          ND = analysis not done                                                   

ACP was mixed with the specific promoter at a ratio (wt/wt) of about50:50 (see Table 1) for 5 minutes in a SPEX laboratory mill.Approximately 0.8 mL H₂ O/g dry powders were added to the dry precursormixture and mixed to a paste. The mixture was then shaped into a ball,wrapped in moist tissue paper and heated to 37° C. for at least 30minutes. After 30 minutes and at various time points thereafter thepaste was monitored for hardness. FIGS. 14 and 15 are representative XRDfrom reactions 1-2 and 1-4. The use of two different grain sizehydroxyapatites as participating promoters yielded similar results aswith different grain size DCPDs (see Example 10) That is, the largergrain size hydroxyapatite hardened more slowly and less completely thanthe smaller grain size hydroxyapatite.

EXAMPLE 2.

This example demonstrates the use of a neutral apatitic calciumphosphate as a promoter for the conversion of ACP to the inventive PCAcalcium phosphate to promote bone growth in vivo. Stoichiometrichydroxyapatite is mixed with reactive ACP as described in Example 1-4.Hydrated precursor paste is applied to animal subjects as described inExamples 15, 16 or 19. Bone healing and biocompatibility is monitored asdescribed at the time points indicated.

EXAMPLE 3.

This example demonstrates the production of PCA calcium phosphate fromACP using a number of different passive promoters.

Highly reactive ACP was prepared according to Example 5. ACP was mixedwith the specific promoter at a ratio (wt/wt) of about 5:1 or 1:1 (seeTable 2) for 5 minutes in a SPEX laboratory mill. Water (0.75-0.85 mL)was added and mixed to form a putty. The mixture was then formed into aball, wrapped in moist tissue paper and heated to 37° C. for at least 30minutes. After 30 minutes and at various time points thereafter thepaste was monitored for hardness. FIG. 13 is a representative XRD fromsample 2-4 employing an alumina promoter. In this figure the aluminapeaks can be seen superimposed over the standard PCA calcium phosphateprofile.

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                        ACP Conversion Using Passive Promoters                                             Passive     Incubation                                                   study                                                                              Promoter    time     Extent of                                                                            PCA* by                                                                              PCA* by                               #    (ACP:promoter)                                                                            at 37° C.                                                                       Hardening                                                                            FTIR   XRD                                   ______________________________________                                        2-1  SiO.sub.2 (5:1)                                                                           30 min   soft   yes    yes                                                    3 hrs    very hard                                           2-2  Mica (5:1)  30 min   soft   yes    yes                                                    12 hrs   very hard                                           2-3  Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 (1:1)                                                                    30 min   soft   yes    yes                                                    12 hrs   very hard                                           2-4  Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 (5:1)                                                                    30 min   soft   yes    yes                                                    12 hrs   very hard                                           ______________________________________                                         *PCA = poorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate                     

EXAMPLE 4.

This example demonstrates the use of a scanning differential calorimeter(DSC) to monitor temperature sensitivity and the net endothermic natureof a preferred embodiment reaction employing activated ACP and DCPDprecursors.

The dry precursor mixture containing equal weights of ACP and DCPD wasprepared as described in Example 9. Water (0.05 mL), prechilled toapproximately 4° C., was added to 47.27 mg of the dry precursor mixtureand immediately placed into the calorimeter. The DSC (Perkin Elmer 7series thermal analysis system) was set to a starting temperature of 0°C. with a scan rate of 5° C./min. The results are shown in FIG. 16. Theplot represents a monitoring of the first 7 minutes of reactivity andshows essentially no heat flow between 0.0° C. and approximately 20° C.,at which point onset of endothermic heat flow occurs. The heat flowproperties indicate that at 37° C. the reaction is essentiallyendothermic, and under the conditions used, the reaction occurs onlyvery slowly if at all at temperatures below about 20° C. Thus, the netreactivity in the system, that is, the sum of endothermic and exothermicheat flow of the system, is endothermic.

EXAMPLE 5.

This example describes the step-by-step preparation and methods for thesynthesis of a highly reactive amorphous calcium phosphate of thepresent invention.

The inert carbonated amorphous calcium phosphate was then prepared atroom temperature by the rapid addition of solution B (43 g Ca(NO₃)₂.4H₂O(calcium nitrate tetrahydrate) and 1 g MgCl₂.6H₂ O in 0.5 l ofdistilled water) to rapidly stirring solution A (55 g Na₂ HPO₄.7H₂ O(sodium phosphate), 50 g NaOH (sodium hydroxide), 30 g NaHCO₃, (sodiumbicarbonate) and 2 g Na₄ P₂ O₇.10H₂ O, in 1.3 l of distilled water). Theprecipitate of gel-like amorphous calcium phosphate thus formed wasimmediately filtered using filter paper (0.05 sq. m) with medium filterspeed and a vacuum pressure of about 10⁻² torr. The material formed athin cake and was washed with approximately 4 liters of distilled waterby adding water into the filtration funnel. The washed material was thencollected using spatula and immersed into a liquid nitrogen in a 2.5 Lcontainer. Following the formation of hard frozen pieces, the containerwas transferred into a vacuum chamber for 24 hrs (10⁻¹ -10⁻² torr),until a fine and dry powder was obtained.

Although the procedure described above may be performed at roomtemperature, the entire process preferably takes place below ambienttemperature (4-5° C.), so as to further prevent the amorphous state fromconverting into more stable crystalline form.

An infrared spectrum of the inert amorphous material at this point inprocess is shown in FIG. 17a. This spectrum contains peakscharacteristic of P--O groups (570 and 1040 cm⁻¹), CO₃ ²⁻ group(1,420⁻¹, 450 cm⁻¹) with a relatively large O--H group peak (˜3,550cm⁻¹). The X-ray diffraction pattern of the same material demonstratesthe amorphous nature of the material as indicated by absence of anysharp peaks in the 2θ=20 to 35 range.

The amorphous material described above was then activated to the highlyreactive form by heating for 60 minutes at 450° C. (±3° C.). The IR ofthe heated material is shown in FIG. 17b. This spectrum shows areduction of particular O--H and CO₃ ²⁻ groups, indicating a significantreduction of H₂ O and CO₃ ²⁻ as CO₂ and H₂ O. In similarly preparedsamples the carbon content was observed to drop approximately 60% with atotal carbonate ratio decreasing from 1.56% to 0.5%. Note, however, thatthe amorphous nature of the material was not lost during this process,as demonstrated by the x-ray diffraction pattern shown in FIG. 6a. TheCa/P ratio measurement of this material after the heat treatment wasdetermined to be 1.575, using a method of quantitative electronmicroprobe analysis. The overall morphological and ultrastructuralproperties of the amorphous material was confirmed by transmissionelectron microscopy as shown in FIG. 1. Note the "amorphous" appearanceof the material with absence of sharp edges separating each granuleswith certain portion of the material to exhibit shapeless form (arrows).

EXAMPLE 6.

ACP was synthesized as described in Example 5 above, with the exceptionthat solutions A and B were prepared in the following way: Solution Awas prepared at room temperature by the rapid dissolution of 90.68 g ofCa(NO₃)₂.4 H₂ O in 1.2 liter of carbonated distilled H₂ O. Solution Bwas prepared by dissolving 40.57 g of K₂ HPO₄ in 1.53 liters ofdistilled H₂ O, containing 24 ml of 45 vol. % KOH solution. Chemical andphysical properties of the product amorphous calcium phosphate resultingfrom this procedure were similar to those of the material preparedaccordingly for Example 5.

EXAMPLE 7.

ACP was synthesized as described in Example 5 above, with the exceptionthat solutions A and B were prepared in the following way: Solution Awas prepared at room temperature by the rapid dissolution of 10.58 g ofCa(NO₃)₂.6 H₂ O in 0.15 liters of carbonated distilled H₂ O at pHgreater than 9.0, as adjusted by NaOH. Solution B was prepared bydissolving 7.8 g of NH₄)₂ HPO₄ in 0.35 liters of distilled H₂ O.

EXAMPLE 8.

This example describes the preparation of PCA calcium phosphate of theinvention with manual mixing of the dry reactants.

Dicalcium phosphate dehydrate (DCPD) was prepared at room temperature bythe rapid addition of solution B (17.1 g Ca(NO₃)₂.4 H₂ O (calciumnitrate tetrahydrate) in 250 mL distilled water) to solution A (10 g H₉N₂ O₄ P (diammonium hydrogen phosphate) in 500 mL distilled water at apH of 4.6-4.8) with constant stirring. Immediately thereafter, thesample was filtered using filter paper (0.05 sq. m) with medium filterspeed and a vacuum pressure of about 10-2 torr. The material formed athin cake which was washed with about 2 liters of distilled water andthen dried at room temperature for 24-72 hrs.

The reactive amorphous calcium phosphate material prepared from Example5 was physically dry-mixed with dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (CaHPO₄.2H₂ O) at 50:50 wt. % using a mortar and pestle for 3-5 min. Water (1mL/g of mixed material) was then added to the powder mixture to yield apaste-like consistency. The amount of H₂ O added varied, depending onwhether a thick or thin paste was desired. The hydrated precursormaterial was then wrapped loosely in moist tissue paper and heated to37° C. At this temperature the paste hardened into a solid mass by meansof a substantially endothermic reaction. The hardening process could bedelayed for several hours by refrigerating the sample at 4° C. Thehardened material was composed of PCA calcium phosphate with an inherentsolubility property that exceeded reported solubilities for a synthetichydroxyapatite material. This is demonstrated in FIG. 3, where theconcentration of calcium ions released into a controlled pH buffersolution over 24 hrs at 37° C., was significantly higher for the PCAcalcium phosphate material of the present invention (curve 50) than thestandard crystalline hydroxyapatite material (curve 52).

EXAMPLE 9.

This example describes the preparation of the inventive PCA calciumphosphate using automated mixing of the dry precursors.

The dry ACP and DCPD precursors were prepared as described in Example 8.Instead of mixing with a mortar and pestle, the ACP and DCPD were mixedusing a SPEX 8510 laboratory mill with a SPEX 8505 alumina ceramicgrinding chamber for 2 min. Preparation of the hydrated precursor wasaccomplished by adding from 0.7 to 1.5 mL of water per gram of mixed dryprecursors.

EXAMPLE 10.

This example demonstrates the preparation of PCA calcium phosphate usingDCPDs of specific grain size distributions.

DCPD was prepared as described in Example 8. The dry material was groundfor 5 minutes in a SPEX 8510 laboratory mill with a SPEX 8505 aluminaceramic grinding chamber. Following grinding, the material was seriallysieved through a Tyler test sieve shaker to produce DCPD with 8different grain size distributions as indicated in Table 3 and shown inFIG. 8.

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                        DCPD Grain Size Distribution                                                                             Extent of                                                       Grain Size    hardening at                                       Sample       Distribution  30 min, 37° C.                              ______________________________________                                        10-1         <25 μm     hard                                               10-2         25-35 μm   hard                                               10-3         35-53 μm   hard                                               10-4         53-63 μm   hard                                               10-5         distribution B3                                                                             hard                                                            (FIG. 8)                                                         10-6         106-125 μm not fully                                                                     hardened                                           10-7         distribution B2                                                                             not fully                                                       (FIG. 8)      hardened                                           10-8         unsieved      not fully                                                       distribution B1                                                                             hardened                                                        (FIG. 8)                                                         ______________________________________                                    

It has been found that the preliminary grinding of DCPD prior to sievingcan be replaced by a brief hand grinding using a mortar and pestlewithout substantially changing the results.

The reactive amorphous calcium phosphate material prepared from Example5 was physically dry-mixed 1:1 (wt/wt) with each of the DCPD samplesfrom Table 3 for 10 minutes using a SPEX 8510 laboratory mill with aSPEX 8505 alumina ceramic grinding chamber. Water (0.8-1.0 mL/g of drymix) was then added to each powder mixture to yield a hydrated PCAcalcium phosphate precursor with a paste-like consistency. Six of theeight samples indicated in Table 3 hardened well in 30 minutes at 37° C.Samples 10-6, 10-7 and 10-8 did not harden as quickly or as firmly asthe other samples. Each of these samples had significantly higherpercentages of >100 μm particles than the other samples. It is concludedfrom these observations that the use of smaller grain size DCPD leads tomore rapid and complete hardening than larger grain size DCPD.

EXAMPLE 11.

This example describes two preferred embodiments of the instantinvention.

(a) Reactive amorphous calcium phosphate material prepared according toExample 5 was physically dry-mixed with DCPD with a particle sizedistribution of B3 of FIG. 3 at 50:50 wt. % using a SPEX 8510 laboratorymill for 2 min with a SPEX 8505 alumina ceramic grinding chamber,followed by sieving to a size of less than 150 μm. Water (0.8 mL/g ofmixed material) was then added to the powder mixture to from thehydrated precursor.

(b) This preferred embodiment was prepared as in (a) with the exceptionthat samples were dry mixed and subsequently ground for 10 minutes.

EXAMPLE 12.

This example describes alternative methods for preparing hydrated PCAcalcium phosphate precursor.

(a) Reactive ACP and DCPD were prepared as described in Example 9 withthe exception that the dry precursors were not mixed. Water (0.8 mL) wasadded to ACP (0.5 g) and mixed thoroughly to homogeneity with a spatulato form a paste. DCPD (0.5 g) was then added to the paste and the pastewas mixed for approximately 2 min. The resultant paste was placed into amoist environment at 37° C. for 30 min.

(b) Reactive ACP and DCPD were prepared as described in Example 8. Water(0.8 mL) was added to DCPD (0.5 g) and mixed thoroughly to homogeneitywith a spatula to form a paste. ACP (0.5 g) was then added to the pasteand the paste was mixed for an additional 2 min. The resultant paste wasplaced into a moist environment at 37° C. for 30 min.

In both instances, the paste hardened after 30 minutes, indicating asuccessful reaction.

EXAMPLE 13.

This example describes hardness testing of a PCA calcium phosphatecalcium phosphate.

PCA calcium phosphate calcium phosphate was prepared according toExample 9 to form a paste. The paste was placed into a 6 (dia.)×10(depth) mm hollow teflon tube submersed in 37° C. water for 30 minutes.The hardened PCA calcium phosphate was then removed from the tube andplaced in water at 37° C. for 1 hour and then, while still moist, placedvertically on an Instron 4206 having a dual 10 kg/15 ton load cell.Compressibility was determined using a crush test. Approximately,200-250 N were required to bring the sample to failure. This forcecorresponds to a compressive strength of 7-9 MPa.

EXAMPLE 14.

These examples demonstrate the effect of fluid volume on the consistencyand reactivity of injectable paste to be used in the formation of bonesubstitute material. Each of the pastes were prepared as described inExample 8, above, and the consistency and rate of reaction at roomtemperature and 37° C. were determined. Observations are reported inTable 4.

                  TABLE 4                                                         ______________________________________                                        Formability, Injectability and Reactivity of Hydrate Precursor.                                               hardening time at various                     Example                                                                              water     forma-   inject-                                                                             temps.                                        No.    volume (mL)                                                                             bility   ability                                                                             (4° C./RT/37° C.)               ______________________________________                                        14-1   0.7       -        -     -/-/-                                                          crumbles                                                     14-2   0.8*      +++      +     >60 min/>60 min/30 min                                         easily                                                                        formed                                                                        paste                                                        14-3   0.9*      ++       ++    >60 min/>60 min/30                                             toothpaste     min                                           14-4   1.0       +        +++   >60 min/>60 min/30                                             liquid         min                                                            toothpaste                                                   ______________________________________                                         *Under some circumstances (e.g., evaporation) these samples may dry out       somewhat over a period of one hour at room temperature. In such cases,        additional water may be added to restore the original consistency.       

EXAMPLE 15.

Implantation and Resorption of PCA calcium phosphate in a SubcutaneousSite. This example demonstrates the resorption of the inventive PCAcalcium phosphate when implanted subcutaneously into rats. It alsodemonstrates a useful screening procedure to test resorptioncharacteristics of new formulations of bioceramic implant materials andcomposites.

Eighty male and eighty female Sprague-Dawley rats were each implantedwith 4 ml (2-4 gm) of the inventive PCA (prepared according to Example8) into the dorsal subcutis (>10×the amount considered maximal in humanson a per kg basis). Control animals were treated with an equal volume ofsaline. Operation procedures are described in Example 16. The rats weresacrificed according to the schedule presented below in Table 5; theimplant site was examined as described in Example 16.

                  TABLE 5                                                         ______________________________________                                        Sacrifice Schedule                                                            Sacrifice Timepoint                                                                           PCA calcium phosphate implant                                 ______________________________________                                        1 week          5 m/5 f                                                       2 weeks         5 m/5 f                                                       1 month         5 m/5 f                                                       3 months        5 m/5 f                                                       1 year          20 m/20 f                                                     ______________________________________                                    

Blood for clinical pathology analyses was collected via retroorbitalsinus or cardiac puncture (all by the same method) while the animalswere under CO₂ anesthesia. Blood samples were collected from each groupof animals prior to scheduled sacrifice. Clinical observations of theanimals for general health and well-being were performed at least weeklyuntil 3 months, and then monthly.

At 1 week PCA material was present at the implant site and was foundassociated with moderate to marked granulomas presumable associated withthe resorption process. At week two a small amount of PCA material wasstill present at the implant site and associated granulomas were mild tomoderate. By week four most tissue appeared normal with a few mildgranulomas persisting at the implant site. At week twelve no evidence ofthe implant remained.

EXAMPLE 16

Implantation and Resorption of PCA calcium phosphate in an IntramuscularSite. This example describes the preparation of PCA calcium phosphatesthat have varied in vivo resorption times as a result of varied grindingtimes.

Individual dry precursors, ACP and DCPD were prepared as described inExample 8. Several different formulations of DCPD and ACP were thenprepared by i) grinding DCPD for 15 sec, 30 sec, 1 min, 2.5 min, or 5min in a SPEX grinder; ii) combining the ground DCPD 1:1 with ACP; andiii) grinding the mixture for an additional 15 sec, 30 sec, 1 min, 2.5min, or 5 min, respectively. Total grinding times for the differentpreparations were therefore 30 sec, 1 min, 2 min ("Type 2" powders), 5min, and 10 min ("Type 10" powders).

The PCA calcium phosphate, sterilized in powder form by approximately2.5 Mrad of gamma irradiation, was prepared as described in Example 4 bytaking the material in powder form and mixing with sterile water orsaline and forming it into approximately 1 cm disks 2 mm thick andincubated for a minimum of 30 minutes at 37° C. Disks were implantedinto adult male New Zealand White Rabbits immediately followingfabrication.

Animals were assigned to dose groups which contained 3 males for a totalof 15 animals. The implants were assigned to the rabbits randomly. 10-15minutes prior to the surgery, the animal was premedicated with xylazine(10 mg/kg, i.m.). The animal was then given ketamine (50 mg/kg, i.m.).The dorsal surface of the animal was clipped free of hair and washedwith a betadine surgical solution and alcohol. Before the surgery theanimal was monitored to be sure that is was properly anesthetized. To dothis, pressure was applied to the foot pad. When there was no response,the animal was properly anesthetized. Throughout the procedure, theanimal was monitored for whisker twitching and the toe-pinch reflect,which indicated that the animal was not waking up.

Using aseptic technique and a scalpel blade, an incision 1-2 cm inlength was made in the skin over the m. longissimus lumborum (which liesalong both sides of the spine). When the incision was made, theunderlying fascia and muscle was also cut to allow the sample to pasinto the muscle. The sample disk was placed directly into the muscle,being sure that the entire implant was embedded in the muscle. Themuscle was closed with a single absorbable suture and the skin wasstitched closed subcutaneously. Metal skin staples were used to closethe external skin surface incision. Five samples were placed on eachside in this manner. Each sample was placed at the end of the incisionand they were approximately 1 cm apart from each other (see diagram).The samples were in the form of 7 mm by 2 mm disks weighingapproximately 150 mg. The animals were monitored and were givenbuprenorphine (0.02-0.05 mg/kg, s.q) upon awakening. The analgesic wasadministered 2 times per day for three days after surgery.

The animals were radiographed immediately after the surgery and forevery two weeks thereafter. The radiographs were compared to track theresorption of the materials. A standardized method was used for theradiographs to minimize any variation between timepoints.

After euthanasia, implant sites were first evaluated by grossexamination. In those sites with visible implants, the implants appearedas grey to yellow solid discs. In those sites where the implant had beenresorbed, areas of red to tan discoloration of the muscle were observed.

Muscle tissue, with the implants, was removed, being careful not todisturb the implants. The tissues and the identifying marks were placedinto labeled jars filled with 10% neutral buffered formalin. All implantsites were processed and evaluated microscopically. Observationsincluded focal fibrosis, focal granulomatous inflammation, andappearance of the implant (in some cases). Fibrosis was primarily seenas fibrocytes and collagen. Animals with gross resorption had fibrosisand minimal to moderate granulomatous focal inflammation. Granulomatousinflammation was seen as focal aggregates of macrophages and giantcells, often with intracytoplasmic crystals, and occasional heterophilsand lymphocytes. Inflammation around the non-resorbed implants wasprimarily minimal to mild fibrosis and/or granulomatous inflammation,both of which are within the acceptable range for intramuscularimplants.

At four weeks, the pellets made from PCA calcium phosphate implants thathad been prepared by grinding for 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minuteswere fully resorbed. Those that had been prepared by grinding for 5minutes or 10 minutes were not fully resorbed.

EXAMPLE 17.

Reactive amorphous calcium phosphate material is prepared as Example 5and is dry-mixed with other calcium phosphate compounds, according tothe method described in Example 8 with the following modification.Instead of DCPD, the following calcium phosphate compounds are used,including, but not limited to: Ca(PO₃)₂ (calcium metaphosphates), Ca₇(P₅ O₁₆)₂ (heptacalcium phosphate), Ca₂ P₂ O₇ (calcium pyrophosphate),Ca₃ (PO₄)₂ (tricalcium phosphates). The dry-mixture ratio is properlycalculated to be between Ca/P ratios of 1.5-1.70, depending on the molarCa/P ratio of the compound mixed with the reactive amorphous calcium.The PCA calcium phosphate identity of the resulting material is thenconfirmed through the use of XRD and FTIR.

EXAMPLE 18.

This example follows the conversion reaction occurring in associationwith the hardening of the hydrated precursor using X-ray diffraction andFourier transform infrared spectrometry.

Hydrated precursor was prepared as described in Example 9. The reactionmixture was placed in a moist environment at 37° C. and examined byX-ray diffraction spectrometry at different times. FIG. 5a-d are theX-ray diffraction spectra of the reaction product between DCPD and thereactive amorphous calcium phosphate as described in Example 5. X-rayscan conditions are (a) copper anode, (b)λ=1.4540598, and (c) a scanrange 20-35° at a step of 0.02° and step interval of 2 seconds. FIG. 6shows the infrared spectra of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (FIG. 6a),the activated ACP of the invention (FIG. 6b), and the poorly crystallinehydroxyapatite of the present invention (FIG. 6c).

Samples shown in FIGS. 5a-5d were incubated for 0,20 min, 75 min and 5hours, respectively. The samples were removed at the noted time andlyophilized to preserve chemical characteristics. FIG. 5a, taken at thestart of the reaction, represents a combination of peaks attributable tothe starting ACP and dicalcium diphosphate (see, FIG. 4 for componentXRD patterns). The sharp peaks at ca. 20.25°, 23.5°, 29.5°, 30.75° and34.2° for crystalline dicalcium diphosphate are readily observed. Withincreasing reaction time, the sharp crystalline peaks subside and wide(amorphous) peaks appear centered at 2θ=26°, 28.5°, 32.0° and 33.0°. Itis interesting to note that there is no change in the spectra after 75minutes of reaction, indicating that the reaction essentially completein little more than one hour. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the bonesubstitute material of the invention (FIG. 5d) can be compared to thatof naturally occurring bone, shown in FIG. 7. The two spectra are nearlyidentical.

EXAMPLE 19.

Implantation and Resorption of PCA calcium phosphate in a Bony Site

The purpose of this study was to assay resorption and ossification ofPCA calcium phosphate in a bony implant site. The method is also usefulfor testing the resorption and ossification properties of PCA calciumphosphate formulations and composites of the invention.

The test article used was a PCA calcium phosphate formulation preparedas described in Example 4. The ACP and DCPD were mixed in the specifiedproportions and ground for 1 minute, 30 seconds in the SPEX grinderequipment.

Adult (>5 month old) NZW male rabbits were held in quarantine andacclimatized for a minimum of 10 days prior to the initiation of thestudy. Animals were individually housed in suspended stainless steelcages. Wood shavings were used in dropping pans under the cages. Priorto initiation of the study, animals were assigned to groups ortreatments randomly and were identified by a numbered ear tattoo and bya corresponding cage card. All animals had single defects placed in onetibia. Timepoints for evaluations were 2, 4, and 8 weeks (2 animals ateach timepoint). Surgery was performed under full anesthesia and asepticsurgical conditions.

After obtaining adequate anesthesia (e.g., ketamine/xylazine to effect),using aseptic technique, an incision was made over the lateral proximaltibia. The soft tissue was deflected away and the bone exposed. Using anapproximately 5 mm trephine in a low speed dental handpiece withirrigation (0.9% physiologic saline) as needed, a ˜5.5 mm diameter holewas cut through the cortical portion of the bone. The bony disk wasdissected free from the cortex and the site was prepared forimplantation. The hydrated precursor material in paste form was placedinto the defect. Defects in control animals were left untreated. Thesoft tissues were then closed in layers. One sample per animal wasprepared using this method.

Clinical observations of the animals general health and well-being, withspecial regard to their ambulatory abilities, were made at least weekly.All animals appeared to be in good health. At the end of the study theanimals were euthanized with an overdose of anesthetic and the implantsite collected. Radiographs of the tibiae were made at scheduledintervals including after surgery and at the time of necropsy.

The implantation sites were fixed in formalin and stained with eitherhematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome, or Von Kossa stained slidesfrom decalcified samples. Undecalcified histological samples were alsoprepared and stained with light green basic fuschin. Slides weremicroscopically evaluated by a board certified veterinary pathologist(ACVP) with experience in laboratory animal pathology. Subjectiveobservations were made of bone morphology, and presence or absence oforganized bone and of detectable PCA calcium phosphate material wasnoted.

Histological results indicated some mineralization at 2 weeks. By 4-6weeks, animals receiving implants had normal trabecular bone at theimplant site with no evidence of remaining PCA calcium phosphate. Theuntreated controls had not fully healed in that they had less than fullingrowth and/or had non-cortical-type bone. FIGS. 9a and 9b arephotomicrographs of untreated and treated tibia defects, respectively, 2weeks after surgery. As can be seen, bone to the right of the defectedge in the untreated sample (FIG. 9a) is thin trabecular bone; new boneto the right of the defect edge in the treated sample (FIG. 9b) is thicktrabecular bone.

EXAMPLE 20.

This example demonstrates the difference in resorption time between twoprecursor formulations with different DCPD grain size distributions. PCAcalcium phosphate precursor material is prepared according to example10. Two precursor mixes are prepared. Sample A corresponds to sample10-6 and sample B corresponds to a 2:4:3:1 mix of samples 10-1, 10-2,10-3 and 10-4. Hydrated precursor pastes of the two samples are testedin rodents in the subcutaneous test of example 15. Resorption ismonitored at various time points.

EXAMPLE 21.

This example demonstrates the difference in promoting activity of DCPDof two different grain size distributions in the conversion of bothhighly reactive and reactive ACPs

ACP was prepared as in Example 5, with the exception that for some ofthe samples the final heat activation step was omitted. Two samples ofDCPD with grain size distributions corresponding to B1 & B3 of example10 were prepared. The ACPs and DCPDs are then mixed for 5 minutes,either by hand or in the SPEX grinder. Hardening characteristics arethen determined. It is clear that machine milled samples exhibitedsuperior hardening properties over hand ground samples. It is also clearthat the samples with a smaller particle size (B3) exhibited superiorhardening properties over larger grained samples (B1).

                  TABLE 6                                                         ______________________________________                                        Reactions Using Different Strength Promoters                                                                  HARDENING                                     ACP        DCPD      GRINDING   @ 30 min                                      ______________________________________                                        heated     B3        mortar     ++                                            non-heated B3        &          (not done)                                    heated     B1        pestle     +/-                                           non-heated B1                   -                                             heated     B3        SPEX       +++                                           non-heated B3        5-10 min   +++                                           heated     B1                   +                                             non-heated B1                   (not done)                                    ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 22.

This example determines the specific surface area and porosity of a PCAcalcium phosphate material.

ACP was prepared according to Example 5. Samples from before and afterthe final heat activation step were compared for their reactivity in anin vitro hardening assay with unsieved DCPD (as described in example 8).Specific surface area and average porosity were also measured. Resultsare tabularized in Table 7 below.

                  TABLE 7                                                         ______________________________________                                        Specific surface Area and Porosity of the Inventive ACPs                                              Average                                                         specific surface                                                                            Porosity                                                                              DCPD                                          sample    area (sq.m./g)                                                                              (Å) Reactivity                                    ______________________________________                                        Pre heating                                                                             120.5         130     -                                             After heating                                                                           76.8          129     +                                             ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 23.

This example describes the conversion of ACP to PCA calcium phosphate inthe absence of a promoter and demonstrates the failure of the newlyformed PCA calcium phosphate to harden. Likewise, promoter DCPD fails toharden or convert on its own.

DCPD and a variety of ACPs and other calcium phosphates were mixed withwater and tested for their ability to harden at 37° C. Table 8summarizes these results, as well as identification of the reactionproducts, if any, following the test period. Under no circumstances washardening observed up to 3 days. It was concluded that while conversionof ACP to PCA calcium phosphate may occur, the presence of a promoter isdesired to achieve setting and hardening

                  TABLE 8                                                         ______________________________________                                        AGP conversion in the absence of a promoter                                               H.sub.2 O                                                         ACP         (g)    Incubation                                                                             Hardening                                                                            FTIR  XRD                                  ______________________________________                                        ACP (Example 5)                                                                           0.8    30 min   soft   ACP   ACP                                                     12 hrs   soft   PCA*  PCA*                                 DCPD (Example 8)                                                                          0.7    30 min   soft   DCPD  ND                                   38-53 μm        12 hrs   soft   DCPD                                       ACP (Example 7)                                                                           1.5    30 min   soft   PCA*  ND                                   not heat activated 12 hrs   soft   HA                                         ACP (Example 5)                                                                           1.5    30 min   soft   ACP   ND                                   non-carbonated                                                                ACP (Example 6)                                                                           1.5    30 min   soft   ACP   ND                                   not heat activated                                                            ACP (Example 5)                                                                           1.5    30 min   soft   PCA*  ND                                   non-carbonated; heat                                                          activated                                                                     ______________________________________                                         *PCA = poorly crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate                          ND = analysis not done                                                   

EXAMPLE 24.

Different Hydrating Agents Effects on Hardening and Final Product.

A hydrated precursor (ACP and DCPD) was prepared as described inExamples 8, 9, or 10, with the exception that a variety of hydrationmedia were used. Samples were then tested for hardness and completenessof reaction at various time points. In all cases, 1 g of the mixedprecursors were hydrated with 0.75-1.0 mL of hydration medium to producea paste. Table 9 summarizes the results and demonstrates that a varietyof aqueous based liquids, and in particularly physiologically acceptablemedia, may be used in the preparation of PCA calcium phosphate.

                  TABLE 9                                                         ______________________________________                                        Effect of Hydrating Agents                                                    Hydration Medium                                                                              Incubation Time                                                                             Hardening                                       ______________________________________                                        Tris            30 min        hard                                            0.9 M NaCl      30 min        hard                                            MEM             30 min        hard                                            MOPS            30 min        hard                                            HEPES           30 min        hard                                            BUFFERALL       30 min        hard                                            PBS             30 min        hard                                            ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 25.

ACP was prepared as described in Example 5, with the exception that theheating the ACP to 450° C. was carried out for either 1 hour or 6 hours.Following heating the ACP was prepared for reaction with DCPD asdescribed in Example 8. Hydrated PCA calcium phosphate precursorprepared with ACP heated for 6 hours was found not to harden after 2 hrsat 37° C.

EXAMPLE 26.

The porosity of a hardened sample of PCA calcium phosphate preparedaccording to Example 10-5 was determined.

A hardened sample of PCA calcium phosphate (1 g) was weighed immediatelyafter removal from the moist incubator, and then air dried at roomtemperature for 12 hrs. The dried sample was carefully weighed and thenthe volume was calculated. The sample was placed into a 20 mL sample ofwater. After 1 minute the approximate displacement volume was noted. Thedried sample was found to absorb up to 50-60% of its dry weight in H₂ O.These results are interpreted to mean that the sample is up to 50 -60%porous. Density was approximated at 1.65 g/cm³.

EXAMPLE 27.

This example demonstrates the use of a resorbable polymer to promote theconversion of ACP to PCA calcium phosphate.

Granular PLLA is prepared and sieved to a size of 100 μm. The powderthus obtained is mixed with the ACP (5:1 ACP:PLLA) of Example 9 andground for 5 minutes in a SPEX laboratory mill. Water is added to 1 g ofthe mixture to form a workable paste. The paste is shaped into a balland is heated to 37° C. in a moist environment for 1 hour. The hardenedsample is analyzed using FTIR and XRD.

EXAMPLE 28.

This example investigates the hardening characteristics of the hydratedprecursor at sub-ambient temperatures.

Hydrated precursor was prepared with water as described in Example 9 andthen tightly sealed to avoid evaporative loss either in parafilm or inan aluminum tube. The samples were then held for up to 1 hr, 24 hrs and6 days. At the indicated time points, the hydrated sample was removedfrom refrigeration placed in a moist environment at 37° C. In allinstances the samples hardened within 30 minutes.

EXAMPLE 29.

This example demonstrates the efficacy of the inventive PCA calciumphosphate in promoting the healing in a large animal model, of a fullsegmental defect in a weight bearing limb.

Hydrated precursors Type 2 and Type 10 were prepared and treatedimmediately prior to surgery as described in Example 16.

Animals fasted for 24 hours prior to anesthesia, during this timeinterval water was available ad libitum. Ketamin (Aescoket®, 10 mg/kgi.m.) ancd atropine (1.5 mg i.m.) was administered as a pre-medicationabout 15 minutes before fully anesthetizing the animals. Etomidate(Hypnomidaat®, 0.3 mg/kg i.v.) was used as the anesthetic. Afterintubation, anesthesia was maintained with an O₂ /N₂ O--mixture (1:1,vol/vol) supplemented with 2% isoflurane.

Surgery was performed asceptically under full anesthesia. After shavingand iodinating the skin, an incision was made over the anteromedial sideof the tibia. The muscles were bluntly dissected and the tibial shaftwas prepared free of tissue to as great an extent as possible. Afterreaming the medullary cavity, an intramedullary nail (diameter 8 mm) wasinserted via a hole in the anterior tibial plateau. The inserted nailwas locked with two proximal and two distal bolts. A 20 mmosteoperiostal segmental defect was then created in the mid-shaft of thetibia with the aid of a thread saw and an oscillating saw.

The defect was filled according to the treatment group. In one group,autologous bone was harvested from the ipsilateral iliac crest andplaced into the defect. In the other group, approximately 2-4 g of thehydrated PCA calcium phosphate precursor (type 2 or type 10) was appliedby hand to fill the defect. The soft tissues and the skin were closed inlayers with resorbable suture material.

The animals received post operative lincomycin/spectinomycin (VualinPlus®, 5 mg/10 mg per kg per day) for 3 days by intramuscular injection.The animals were kept outside in the meadow as soon as full weightbearing of the operated limb was possible. Animals were sacrificed priorto explanation of the tibiae as follows: As a premedication ketamin(Aescoket®, 500 mg i.m.) and xylazin (Rompun®, 40 mg i.m.) were given.Then 0.5 mg fentanylcitrate (Fentanyl®), 10 mg etomidate (Hypnomidate®),4 mg pancuronium bromide (Pavulon®), and 1.4 gram potassium chloridewere administered intravenously.

Animals receiving the inventive PCA calcium phosphate demonstratedcomplete healing at three months. The test bones were then dissectedfrom the animal and tested for strength. Preliminary results indicatedthat the inventive PCA calcium phosphate was resorbed and ossified toproduce bone equal to or better than autologous implants in less thanthree months.

EXAMPLE 30.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate resorption, ossification andbiocompatibility of two formulations of the inventive PCA calciumphosphate in canine mandibular sites. Prehardened PCA calcium phosphatewas implanted in a canine mandibular onlay model which additionally maybe used as an augmentation model.

The test article was PCA calcium phosphate in two formulations,corresponding to Types 2 and 10 described in Example 18. The PCA calciumphosphate was pre-hardened in a moist environment at approx. 40° C.immediately prior to implantation. The control implants were 3 mm×4 mmcylinders of silicone and porous hydroxyapatite, respectively.

Two adult female hound-type dogs (20 to 25 kg) were used in the study.Both dogs received two control implants (1 of each) on the right side ofthe mandible and one each of the Type 2 and Type 10 PCA calciumphosphate formulations on the left (opposite) side.

Implantation was performed under full anesthesia and aseptic surgicalconditions. The animals were premedicated with tranquilizers andatropine-type agents and induced with barbiturates. The animal's vitalsigns (temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate) were monitored beforeand throughout the procedure. The animals were tested for properanesthetic depth by toe pinch and corneal stimulus. After obtainingadequate anesthesia, using aseptic technique, an incision was made inthe skin over the midlateral ventral surface of the mandible andproximal neck (over the mandible lower edge). The soft tissue wasdeflected away and the bone was exposed. The periosteum over the outermandibular surface was elevated and the bone surface was roughened witha burr or drill until it was rough and bloody in a shape to accept thecylindrical implants. The control articles and pre-hardened PCA calciumphosphate were placed into the defects. Two samples per animal per sidewere onlaid onto each outer mandible surface using this method (twoexperimental PCA calcium phosphate samples and two controls). Thesamples were placed about 1 cm to insure that they do not appose eachother. The periosteum was closed first using 3.0 vicryl. The softtissues were then closed in layers with 3-0 vicryl absorbable suture.The skin was closed with simple interrupted sutures of 5-0 nylon. Theanimals were allowed to heal for scheduled periods of time. One dog wassacrificed at 3 weeks and the other at 3 months and the test sites wereremoved for histology. All animals were euthanized and identifying markswere collected.

The implantation sites were prepared as undecalcified sections. Sectionswere evaluated for biointegration, biodegradation, and biocompatibility.

The results were as follows: At all time points excellentbiocompatibility was observed. No giant cells and minimal macrophagewere observed. There was only minimal reaction layer of only a few cellsthickness at the base of the PCA calcium phosphate implants. This issignificantly better than was observed for either of the controls.

At three weeks, the majority of the Type 2 material was resorbed. Attwelve weeks, the Type 2 was completely resorbed to the surface of theoriginal bone. Additionally the bone in the socket was not fullydifferentiated.

The Type 10 samples demonstrated osseointegration with new bone ingrowthand cell migration into the implant. The implant itself wasapproximately 10% resorbed after twelve weeks.

The silicon control implant, which is not resorbable, displayed a mildto moderate foreign body reaction. Voids were unfilled at three weeks,but by twelve weeks were filled with fibrous tissue. The hydroxyapatitecontrol implant showed no signs of resorption or osseointegration withinthe first twelve weeks.

This experiment confirms the excellent biocompatibility of the inventivePCA calcium phosphate. Additionally, a difference in resorption timebetween the two PCA formulations was observed, with a prolongedresorption time course for the sample in which the precursors weremixed/ground for a longer period of time (Type B).

The results also point out the slower resorption and ossificationproperties observed in the non-load bearing mandible implant site ascompared to the rapidly ossifying load bearing applications of Example29. Finally, the results demonstrate the need for slowly resorbing PCAsfor proper osseointegration in augmentation plastic surgery.

EXAMPLE 31.

This example demonstrates the effect of maintaining the hydratedprecursor uncovered at room temperature.

The dry precursor was prepared as described in Example 11(b). The dryprecursor was mixed with the indicated amount of water and tested forhardening and injectability through a 16 gauge needle after standinguncovered at room temperature for various time periods. The results arereported in Table 10.

                  TABLE 10                                                        ______________________________________                                        Paste Injectability after Standing at Room Temperature.                                                         injectability                                     water           standing                                                                            room  for 16  hardening;                          sample                                                                              added  mixing   time  temp. gauge   30                                  wt (g)                                                                              (mL)   time (s) (min) (° C.)                                                                       needle  min/37° C.                   ______________________________________                                        1     0.8    20       10    25    v. good v. good                             1     0.8    20       20    24    v. good v. good                             1     0.8    20       30    25    v. good v. good                             1     0.8    20       40    25    good    v. good                             1     0.8    20       50    24    poor    v. good                             5     4.2    40       10    24    v. good v. good                             5     4.2    40       20    25    v. good v. good                             5     4.2    40       30    25    good    v. good                             5     4.2    40       40    25    poor    v. good                             ______________________________________                                    

These results demonstrate that a one gram sample may be stable as aninjectable paste at ambient conditions for up to 45 minutes and that a 5gram sample may be stable as an injectable paste for up to 30 minutes atambient conditions (in air, 25° C.).

Other Embodiments

It will be understood that the foregoing is merely descriptive ofcertain preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to belimiting thereof. The following claims cover all of the generic andspecific features of the invention herein described in the text andaccompanying drawings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reactive amorphous calcium phosphate materialhaving at least 90% percent amorphous character and characterized inthat, when prepared 1:1 as a mixture with dicalcium diphosphate inwater, the mixture remains injectable and formable for a time greaterthan about 60 minutes at about 25° C. and hardens at about 37° C. withinabout 10 to about 60 minutes.
 2. The amorphous calcium phosphatematerial of claim 1, having a specific surface area of greater thanabout 100 sq. m/g.
 3. The amorphous calcium phosphate material of claim1, wherein the specific surface area is about 120 sq. m/g.
 4. Theamorphous calcium phosphate of claim 1 or 2, further characterized ashaving an average pore size of 130 Å.
 5. The amorphous calcium phosphateof claim 1, wherein the mixture hardens within about 10 to 30 minutes atabout 37° C.
 6. The amorphous calcium phosphate of claim 1, wherein thecalcium to phosphate ratio is about 1.55 to 1.65.
 7. The amorphouscalcium phosphate of claim 1, wherein said reactivity is obtained byintroduction of chemical vacancies into the material.